


the needs and wants of lee donghyuck

by idkwoosan



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Anxiety, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Baggage, Fluff, M/M, Making Out, Mutual Pining, Overworking, Pining, Slow Burn, a lot of cliche stuff, a lot of cute shit, a lot of it, a lot of pining, barely any real plot in the beginning, basically just fluff and some angst, but a lot of them will, my first fic so it may suck a lot, not all of the members will end up being in this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-14
Updated: 2020-04-12
Packaged: 2020-10-18 14:53:42
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 22,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20641001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/idkwoosan/pseuds/idkwoosan
Summary: Lee Donghyuck wants the stereotypical perfect relationship, but the person that makes him feel that way doesn’t return the feelings.Mark Lee is too oblivious to the way his best friend looks at him, and it causes a lot of problems for Donghyuck, until he decides to solve them himself.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> hi ! this is my first time writing fanfic so i hope it’s not too awful to read!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> mostly fluff and markhyuck!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i definitely need to get better at writing conversations that flow better but i hope it’s not too bad

Donghyuck had done it again. 

He had been looking through the ‘markhyuck’ tag on AO3, and he even read a few of them. 

His phone light shone brightly in the darkness of his room as he curled up even further into the warmth of his blankets. Donghyuck hadn’t been able to sleep, and somehow he had ended up reading what some of the fans wrote about him and Mark. Some of them were accurate. That they were affectionately towards each other, and pined after each other, although the endings were never right. Donghyuck would never be able to end up with Mark, because Mark wouldn’t want that, and Donghyuck was confident the older boy didn’t want him anyway.

All the stolen glances across the room, the brushing of their hands when they walked side by side, the late night conversations… things like that only had an effect on Donghyuck. He didn’t know how Mark couldn’t see just how much it affected him. 

He sighed and rolled over, facing up at the bunk above him that Mark was sleeping on. He felt hollow inside, almost empty, but there was a small ache somewhere in his chest. Donghyuck couldn’t place what it was, so he tried his best to ignor it. 

He had this want, this craving, to be able to feel everything that was described in the stories. He wanted to be able to hug and kiss Mark whenever he could, not just when he was playing the affectionate maknae role on shows and in front of people. Donghyuck had a need for affection, which didn’t come willingly from most of his members. He pushed his hair off his face and closed his eyes, trying to collect his thoughts. 

Donghyuck just wanted the stereotype of what the perfect relationship was. He wanted to feel the rush of falling in love, he wanted to be able to experience the burning of someone else’s hands on his skin, the rush of heat on his lips as they kissed. But he couldn’t. The one person who made Donghyuck feel anywhere near that was completely oblivious to his feelings towards him, and that wouldn’t be changing anytime soon. 

He turned off his phone and sat up, checking the clock. 2:43. He had to be up in 5 hours to go do some interviews, and all those entailed were him being the affectionate one. Donghyuck huffed and rolled over, shutting his eyes as tight as they could go. He wasn’t going to let his wanting a perfect, unrealistic relationship ruin his time tomorrow. Although it hurt when his members got annoyed with him during interviews, it wasn’t enough to stop him from having fun.

He soon fell into an uneasy sleep, and dreamed about someone’s hands running down his waist and through his hair, and they ended up gently wrapping around the curve of his jaw. The fingertips brushed lightly against his lips, and they stung like fire as they did, sending chills down his spine and through his body. He woke up before it could go further or he could have any clue of who it was, but it had left him drained and feeling like he’d barely slept at all. He tried to ignore it as he got ready for his schedule for the day. 

_

The interviews and shows had turned out how he expected them, mostly boring and full of common questions, but occasionally he got to pick on the other members, and for that it was worth it. Plus, Donghyuck got to sit next to Mark, and he hoped no one noticed how often his gaze lingered on him, or how much of his attention went to the older boy when he was talking. They stopped for lunch at a restaurant, and they were all messing with each other and having fun. 

Donghyuck was sitting by Mark again, and it was nice. They’d have small conversations when the other members were getting too out of control, and it made him happy to be able to make Mark smile. He finished his food and enjoyed the presence of his friends. Donghyuck hadn’t been with them for a while because he’d been with the Dreamies a lot. 

Once they made it back home, they all changed into comfy clothes and sat around playing games with each other. Since Mark was being a little distant, Donghyuck decided to sit by Jungwoo and lay his head in his lap. Jungwoo didn’t mind, he never does, and he smiled lazily as they teased each other. Donghyuck liked days like this.

After Donghyuck ate dinner, he retreated to his and Mark’s room, and wasn’t surprised to see Johnny in there too. 

“Hey, hyung,” Donghyuck gave Johnny a small smile as he collapsed on his bed and pulled out his phone. 

“I don’t get a hi?” He could hear the pout in Mark’s voice and looked up to see him leaning over the side of his top bunk. “Hello to you too, Mark.” Donghyuck couldn’t help but smile at him. 

Mark, content, went back to his conversation with Johnny as Donghyuck scrolled through his social media. After about half an hour, he shut off his phone and moved to lay on his stomach to join the conversation. 

“There’s no way that can be true.” Johnny had a small smile on his face as he talked to Mark. 

“I’m telling you, it’s true! Sloths can hold their breath longer than dolphins!” Mark’s eyes were wide and focused, and it was adorable. A blush crept up Donghyuck’s neck at the thought of Mark being adorable. 

“Don’t tell Chenle, or he’ll try to hold his breath for too long and pass out.” Dongyuck’s joke pulled a laugh from the two of them, and he sighed in contentment. 

Once Jonny had left, Mark and Donghyuck started getting ready for bed, and soon the only light that was on was a small lamp attached to the railing on Mark’s bunk. 

Dongyuck laid on his back. “Mark?”

“Hmm?” Mark murmured, obviously distracted. 

“Do you ever wish you’d chosen to live a normal life?” Donghyuck’s voice is small, vulnerable. He hears Mark shuffle and take a deep breath. 

“Sometimes. Sometimes I wish I could see my family and friends back home more often, or have gone to college and experience that with the rest of my friends from high school. I wish I could’ve just… had more time, I guess. But I’m kind of glad I decided to do this, because I met all of you guys. It’s rough sometimes when I get homesick, or you guys get to travel just a few hours and see your family, but… I have my good days and my bad days.” Mark rambles, but Donghyuck doesn’t bother stopping him. He loves it when Mark rambles, because he’s cute when he does it. 

“That makes sense. Sometimes I just think about all the normal teenager things I could’ve been doing when I was 14 instead of moving away from my family and training 24/7. I don’t know. It was a stupid question anyways, sorry..” A pang of guilt hits him at the mood drop that blanketed the room. 

“It wasn’t a stupid question,” Mark says softly. “I just wasn’t expecting it to be that… out of the blue, I guess.” 

Donghyuck rolled over and buried his face in his pillow before lifting his head back up moments later. 

“Hey hyung?” He says in the cutest voice he can muster in his drowsy state.

“Yeah, hyuck?” Mark leaned over the railing again and looked at him. 

“I don’t think I’m gonna be able to sleep tonight,” Donghyuck sighs and rolls over to look at Mark. 

Mark stay silent for a few moments. “Do… you want me to come down there?” Donghyuck looks up at him with pleading eyes and Mark immediately moves to start making his way down. He can’t believe it worked. They haven’t done this since right before they debuted, when they were still trainees. 

Mark slid into Donghyuck’s cocoon. “Jesus, do you have enough blankets?” Donghyuck giggled and made room for Mark. “We can move some, if you want. I just like being extra warm.”

Mark laughed and shook his head but got under all of them with Donghyuck anyway. Donghyuck instinctively curled up to Mark, grateful for the fact that Mark didn’t tease him about this in front of the other members. 

“Remember when we were still trainees and we did this all the time?” Mark broke the silence, his hand moving up and down Donghyuck’s back and sending chills down his body that he hoped Mark wouldn’t notice. 

“Yeah, I kind of miss it sometimes,” Donghyuck admitted. Mark hummed in agreement. 

“I was glad for it though because you helped calm me down and helped me be less stressed. I would have gotten next to no sleep if you hadn’t done that for me.” Donghyuck glanced up at Mark, who had his bottom lip in between his teeth, a thoughtful look painted on his sharp features. 

“I’m glad I was there to help, then. I never realized it was that bad…” Mark let his bottom lip go, and laid his head back on Donghyuck’s pillows. 

The silence settled for a few minutes, and Donghyuck let himself relish in the feeling of Mark’s arms around him. His hand had gone from his back to slithered snuggly around his waist, and Donghyuck was glad it was dark so Mark wouldn’t have to see him blush. He let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding as Mark’s other hand moved to his hair. Mark knew how much Donghyuck liked his hair being played with, and a small smile found its way to his face. He wondered if Mark could see him. 

Donghyuck gathered up the courage to bury his face in Mark’s neck and wrap his arms around Mark, and the older boy didn’t object. Donghyuck pulled the blankets over them, and he felt the safest he’d felt in a while. He sighed as his eyes fell closed, and the last thing he remembered before falling asleep was Mark’s hand running through his hair, down to the nape of his neck, and back again. 

_

Donghyuck woke up to Taeyong throwing the curtains open, letting in all the unwanted light. 

“Wake up, lovebirds, it’s lunch time. We’re all going out to eat together.” Taeyong gave a small smile to the both of them. 

In all honesty, Donghyuck had been awake for about an hour, but he’d been too selfish to move. Mark had moved from under his head to behind him, like they were two commas, pushed way too close together. Mark’s arms were around his waist, and his head was gently resting on the back of Donghyuck’s neck. He could feel Mark’s warm breath crawling down his shirt, and it was all he could do to pray that he didn’t wake him up. Donghyuck’s most sensitive spot was his neck, Mark knew that, but he had a feeling the older boy had done this in his sleep. 

Mark groaned and pulled Donghyuck closer, almost like he was begging him to stay, and it worked. Donghyuck threw a pillow at Taeyong. 

“I’m too tired to go, hyung.” Donghyuck pouted at Taeyong as he frowned. “Hyuck, we always eat lunch together on Saturdays. It’s like a tradition.” 

Donghyuck sighed and backed into Mark’s arms even further, if it were physically possible. Mark set his chin in the crook of Donghyuck’s neck and he sighed into the younger boy’s ear. 

“Hey, that’s loud!” Donghyuck half giggled, half whined. Taeyong crossed his arms and raised his eyes at the two bickering in front of him. 

“You’re drooling all over each other and you still manage to bicker. I’m disappointed.” 

“We are not all over each other!” Mark protests. “Then what do you call that? I’d like to know.” Taeyong points to them and Mark’s entire face and neck turns red as he looks to see just how close him and Donghyuck are. 

“Okay, maybe just a little… but Hyuck couldn’t sleep last night so I was keeping him company. That’s not fair, hyung,” Mark pouted and sat up, pulling Donghyuck with him. 

Mark always looked cute in the mornings, with his fluffy bed ridden hair and tired eyes, but today Donghyuck found it even more gorgeous. His hair was sticking up in odd directions, and even though his face was puffy he still managed to look adorable. 

Absentmindedly, Donghyuck reached out and ran his fingers through Mark’s hair in an attempt to fix it. Mark looked up at him with wide eyes and wrapped his arms around Dongyuck’s waist underneath the blankets. 

“Get up and get ready, both of you. We’re leaving in 45 minutes,” Taeyong started to leave the room. “And don’t forget to brush your teeth!” He called as he left. 

Donghyuck giggled and fell back onto his pillow, wishing he could stay here in this moment forever. 

“Last night was the best I’ve slept since… I don’t even know when,” Donghyuck confessed, his eyes wide as he looked at his best friend in front of him. 

“Honestly, me too. It was so warm…” Donghyuck jumped up at pointed at Mark. 

“A-ha! So you do like all my blankets!” Mark pouted. “I never said that… okay, I’ll admit, something about being in a cocoon of way too many blankets was super relaxing.” 

Donghyuck smiled widely at him, and Mark returned it. He pushed Mark’s hair off his forehead, and Mark’s arms tightened around him. 

“We should get up and get ready, they won’t think twice about leaving us behind.” Donghyuck sighed and got up, stretching. He shuffled over to his dresser to pick out a pair of ripped black jeans, a plain white shirt and a red button up to go over it. 

“It’s too cold outside of my cocoon. Maybe we can convince everyone to huddle together on it, they’ll see how warm it is, and let us stay home.” Donghyuck’s childish voice emerged without even having to try. Mark scoffed and shook his head, getting up to pick out his outfit. 

“You think nine whole people will fit on this bed? Including Johnny and Jungwoo’s freakishly long legs?” Mark picked up two shirts, holding each of them up before tossing one on top of where his jeans lay on the desk chair. “Besides, I like our Saturday lunches. Even though we see each other 24/7, it’s nice to do something with them outside of schedules and practicing.”

Donghyuck hummed in agreement as he made his way to the bathroom to change, brush his teeth, and wash his face. Mark came in after he got dressed and followed suit. 

As they left their room, Mark slung his arm around Donghyuck’s shoulders, and Donghyuck let his arm wrap around the older boy’s waist. They walked out together, and saw Jaehyun, Yuta, and Johnny sitting on the couch together on their phones. 

“We really beat everybody else?” Mark started looking around in search of the other members. 

“Taeyong is still waking people up, Jungwoo is always last, Doyung is probably keeping him company, and Taeil only leaves his room to make sure Jungwoo doesn’t beat him.” Jaehyun looked up from his phone and gave them a small smile. “But you’re still ready faster than usual.” 

Donghyuck unwound himself from Mark and plopped down on the couch in between Johnny and Yuta, neither of which paid any attention to him. 

Taeyong made his way out, looking slightly frustrated. “Taeil’s being mean. He threw his pillows at me, and when he ran out of those, he grabbed his shoe to throw at me.” He pouted as he slumped into a chair. 

Just as Yuta went to dramatically comfort Taeyong, Taeil walked out and pointed to Taeyong. 

“You can’t just throw my shoe in the toilet because I threw it at your face! That’s not fair, now I can’t wear them!” Taeil huffed, holding up a very wet shoe.  
“You shouldn’t have thrown it at me in the first place!” Taeyong shot back, hiding in Yuta’s arms. 

Taeil groaned and walked back to his room, hopefully to get different shoes. Taeyong stuck his tongue out at his back as he walked away before laughing. 

They all sat in silence for a few moments before Donghyuck spoke. 

“Why is everyone being so quiet? It’s kinda weird.” He sat up and looked at the older members, who were all on their phones. 

They all shrugged, murmuring a half hearted apology before Jungwoo and Doyoung walked out, followed by Taeil. 

“Okay,” Taeyong got up, looking around at all of them. “Everyone ready to go?” 

Everyone stood up, stretched, and started to make their way out the door. Once they made it out of the dorms, they all piled into two different cars. 

_

The car ride was uneventful, but once they got there and sat down, all hell broke loose. Taeyong was at one end of the table, and Yuta, Jaehyun, doyoung, and Taeil on his left. To his right were Johnny, Mark, Donghyuck, and Jungwoo. Parents on the left, kids on the right. 

Once they ordered, the teasing began, and although they made fun of and poked at each other, they all enjoyed it. It was nice to have a day where they were all together and just enjoying each other’s company, not having to worry about any responsibilities that the rest of the day may hold. 

Donghyuck smiled in contentment, letting himself enjoy this moment, because he knew it would be a long week ahead of him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> donghyuck goes back to the dream dorms for a few weeks, and mark doesn’t want him to.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 2! even though it’s only been 4 days i still wanted to update it as soon as i could~  
i hope you like it!

Donghyuck had just packed his bags to go back to the Dream dorms, but he wasn’t sure he wanted to leave just yet. He knew he’d miss Mark, and since he graduated and didn’t stay at the Dream dorms anymore, he wouldn’t be able to see him until Donghyuck came back to him. 

Although, Donghyuck wasn’t as upset about visiting the Dreamies as he originally thought. It would give him a chance to talk to Renjun about how he had been feeling in the past few weeks, since he was the only one who knew just how much of a hopeless romantic Donghyuck was becoming. 

Donghyuck picked his bag up and carried it to the living room, getting ready to say bye to everyone for at least two weeks. Taeyong, being Taeyong, was on the couch, leg bouncing as his nails took the damage of his anxiety. He got up once Donghyuck walked out, and hugged him tightly. 

“Be safe and take care of them, ‘kay?” Taeyong murmured into the younger boy’s shoulder. Donghyuck nodded, easing out of the hug before the rest of them piled in, turning it into a group hug. 

“Guys, I’ll only be gone for like, two weeks. I’ll visit next weekend, I promise.” Donghyuck’s face was squeezed in between Jaehyun and Yuta, and once they all let go, he dramatically held his face and let out a cry of pain. Jaehyun bumped into Donghyuck’s shoulder before he stepped back, his arms wrapping around Taeyong. 

Donghyuck gave one last goodbye to everyone, but there was one person missing, and it was Mark. He hadn’t been there the whole time… why was Donghyuck just noticing this? 

He set his bag by the front door, making his way back to his room. He found Mark there, curled in a ball on Donghyuck’s bunk, face red and hair sticking up in odd ways. 

“You okay, hyung?” Donghyuck said softly, sitting on the edge of the bed. He laid a hand on the older boy’s shoulder, sending him a concerned look. 

“I don’t know,” Mark croaked. “I just… I guess I don’t want you to leave for a few weeks. I always miss you a lot when you’re gone, it’s pathetic of me…” Mark’s voice broke in the last few words and he pulled the blanket over his head, trying to hide from Donghyuck. 

The younger boy sighed and pulled the blanket off of Mark, who looked up at him with tears in his eyes. 

“It’ll only be for two weeks this time. I promise I’ll be back soon, hyung.” Donghyuck whispered, fighting back his own tears. “But I have to go now. Don’t do anything stupid without me, Markie.” 

At the old nickname, Mark lunged forward and wrapping himself tightly around Donghyuck. They both fell back onto the bed, the older boy on top. Donghyuck felt a blush creep up his body as he felt every inch of Mark on his skin, and it felt like needles and tingling and relief all at once. 

“Hyung, I have to go, the Dreamies are waiting for me.” Donghyuck’s voice was muffled as his face pressed into Mark’s neck. 

Mark sighed and got up, but twisted his fingers into Donghyuck’s, making him light headed at how affectionate Mark was being. He lead the younger boy out into the living room, where everyone else was. Taeyong shot Donghyuck a questioning look and glanced down at his and Mark’s intertwined hands, but Donghyuck gave him a small shrug and kept walking to the door. 

They hugged tightly one more time before Donghyuck stepped back, picking up his bag. 

“Bye, hyung.” Donghyuck smiled at him before leaving the dorms, putting his headphones in as he walked down the stairs to the front of the building. He put on his slower playlist and started walking to the bus stop, right down the road. 

As he was waiting, he thought about what he was going to tell Renjun. He’d known about Donghyuck’s crush on Mark since they all debuted together in Dream, but he hadn’t started giving Renjun any real details until now, three years after it had started. Renjun only knew Donghyuck had crushed on Mark since day one, and it was slowly getting worse and worse as time passed and Donghyuck got to know the older boy better. It wasn’t voluntary, Donghyuck had never chosen to be attracted to his best friend, but it happened in such a rush that Donghyuck couldn’t have stopped it if he’d wanted to. 

The bus pulled up and opened its doors, and Donghyuck paid before finding an empty pair of seats and sitting down towards the back. A few stops later, a guy, about his age, filled the empty seat next to him. They were silent for a while, with Donghyuck staring out the window, but he couldn’t help but feel the strangers eyes on the side of his head. 

Donghyuck walked down the street from the bus stop until he got to the Dream dorms trying to shake off the feeling of being watched as he strolled down the street, focusing on his pace and his music as he made it to the dorms. 

Donghyuck shook his head as a way to clear his thoughts as he unlocked the door. His foot barely made it through the doorway before 4 pairs of arms were wrapped around him, all of their weight pushing onto him. He yelped and fell to the floor, knees buckling from all the extra weight. 

“Guys, let him breathe!” The missing fifth pair of arms was standing in front of him, shaking his head at the other ones, who apparently had no self control. They slowly let go of Donghyuck, and that’s when Renjun made his way in to hug him. 

“Hyuck, we missed you!” Chenle yelled into Jisung’s ear, who flinched and frowned at him. Donghyuck let go of Renjun, who immediately wiggled himself under Donghyuck’s arm. 

“I missed you guys too. But I forgot just how loud all of you are!” Donghyuck giggled and went to put his bag down in his room, but Renjun followed. 

“Wow, someone really missed me, huh?” Donghyuck smiled as Renjun blushed and covered his face in his hands. Donghyuck thought he was absolutely adorable when he blushed, but he kept that to himself. 

He managed to convince Renjun to sit on the bed while Donghyuck unpacked. They talked about their schedules during the weeks they were gone and things that happened. Donghyuck told about how him and Mark could hear Taeyong and Jaehyun into the late hours of the night, but the noises weren’t so pleasant for the two younger boys. This made Renjun cover his ears and yell loudly, and the other boys quickly came in, wanting to know what the yelling was for, and got sad when Renjun wouldn’t tell them. 

“You’re too young!” Renjun yelled over the fussing. 

“But we’re the same age as you!” Jaemin and Jeno whined in unison before Donghyuck quickly hushed them by whispering a promise of telling them later. They quickly started muttering in each others ears and giggling relentlessly. 

“So we don’t get to know?” Chenle pouts, his head buried in Jisung’s shoulder. Jisung looks down at him fondly before shaking his head. 

“We never get to know, remember? We’re the babies.” Jisung stuck his tongue out at the older boys in front of him, who did it right back. 

Donghyuck smiled, listening to the familiar bickering of his best friends. As annoying as it was, he had missed it, and he was glad he was with them again, even if he missed Mark. 

_ 

After Donghyuck had unpacked his bags and they had all made themselves comfortable in his and Renjun’s shared room, they talked for hours. Chenle and Jisung were cuddling, as were Jaemin and Jeno, and Renjun had managed to wiggle his way into Donghyuck’s arms as it got later. Donghyuck didn’t mind, and although it was part of his maknae role when he was with 127, he still loved affection, especially from the Dreamies. 

“We need to go to bed. It’s almost midnight, and we have practice at 10 tomorrow morning.” Jaemin yawned, the rest of the boys following suit. 

“Okay, we can talk more tomorrow,” Chenle agreed. Jisung’s eyes fluttered open as the weight on him lifted when Chenle stood up. One by one, they said goodnight to Renjun and Donghyuck, and Jaemin even managed to steal a kiss on the cheek from Donghyuck. 

Once they were alone, Renjun turned to Donghyuck, looking serious. 

“So. Spill it. Something’s bothering you, and I’m almost completely sure it’s about Mark.” Renjun’s voice was quiet and soft, just barely above a whisper. 

Donghyuck sighed, running his hand through his messy hair. It was a habit he had developed over the years that he did when he was nervous. 

“I guess I just… wish he’d notice me? I know that he does, and he’s my best friend, but I’d wish he’d think of me as… more than that, I guess.” Donghyuck’s voice broke slightly as he finished, tears threatening to spill over his tired eyes. 

Renjun had a strange look on his face, and Donghyuck couldn’t tell if it was a look of confusion, or if the younger boy was thinking. 

“What if…” He had been thinking, Donghyuck decided. “You try to like someone else?” Renjun said hesitantly, looking up at Donghyuk with wide, shiny eyes. 

Donghyuck’s breath hitched in his throat as he took in how pretty Renjun looked like this. He wasn’t sure if it was a way to cope for not being able to be with Mark or if he was genuinely interested in Renjun, but right now he didn’t really care. 

Donghyuck’s hand found Renjun’s jaw, his thumb caressing the older boy’s cheek. Renjun blushed deeply, looking away from Donghyuck and down at his hands. 

Whatever the reasoning were for his decisions, he couldn’t back out now. Although he hadn’t completely convinced himself he truly had feelings for Renjun, he still knew that even if it didn’t last long, neither of them would make it awkward if it ended poorly.

“Can I…” Donghyuck hoped Renjun knew what he meant without actually saying it, and Renjun’s eyes widened before he took a deep breath and nodded, still looking down. 

Donghyuck used his hand to tilt Renjun’s face up, putting both of his hands on the sides of the older boy’s face. Renjun’s arms wrapped around the younger boy’s neck, his hands landing in the soft, silvery grey hairs at the base of Donghyuck’s neck. He shivered as Renjun’s fingers curled in his hair tightly. 

The older boy’s thumb traced Renjun’s bottom lip, slowly, and he could feel the smaller boy trembling under his fingers. 

He froze for a moment, second guessing his decisions. Should he do this? Was it wrong of him to use Renjun if it was only a way of distracting himself? 

Based on the chills travelling down his spine and the swirling feeling in his stomach that he had only ever felt around Mark, he assumed he had some sort of feelings for Renjun, or he wouldn’t feel like that… right? 

As he forced the thoughts out of his mind, Donghyuck’s eyes fluttered closed, before he slowly leaned in, capturing the lips of the small chinese boy in front of him, and the taste of him made his knees weak. 

The last thing on his mind right now, surprisingly, was Mark.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaaa so here’s some renhyuck for all you renhyuck shippers out there. i had to leave it on at least a little bit of a cliffhanger though


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some more renhyuck, and telling the rest of the dreamies about it. that’s basically it

Renjun’s long, spindly fingers threaded through Donghyuck’s hair as their lips collided. He had never kissed anyone before, but kissing Renjun felt natural. They found their rhythm as they got used to the feeling of each others lips, pulling each other closer. 

Renjun shifted and straddled Donghyuck’s waist, drawing a small noise from him that he would be embarrassed for later. Donghyuck’s hands moved down slowly, from the older boy’s face, to his neck, to his arms, and they finally landed on his waist. He hitched up the bottom of Renjun’s shirt, touching the soft, warm skin underneath. 

Renjun let out a whimper, but it was drowned out by Donghyuck’s lips. The older boy’s fingers tugged ever so slightly at Donghyuck’s hair, and it was the best feeling in the world. What little strength Donghyuck had left was gone in a split second, and he fell back onto the bed, Renjun following him. 

Donghyuck needed air, but he needed Renjun more, and he couldn’t bring himself to break the kiss. The feeling of Renjun’s lips on his were explosive and burning, like fire, and the younger boy soon broke the kiss and inhaled a large breath. 

Donghyuck took this opportunity to flip them over, and he laid on top of Renjun, and soon his lips attached to the smaller boy’s neck and jaw. He kissed in the sensitive places, paying extra attention to the spots that drew noises from Renjun. 

As Donghyuck did this, Renjun’s hands had been exploring all over his body, down his waist, up his back, around his neck, and Donghyuck’s favorite spot, through his hair. The older boy bit at a sharp part of Renjun’s neck, and that was when Renjun let out a moan. Only slightly shocked, Donghyuck decided to leave a hickey there. He knew he would regret it later, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. 

“H-hyuck,” Renjun whined out after a few more minutes of Donghyuck trailing kisses down Renjun’s neck, jaw, and collarbones. “F-fuck, where did you learn this stuff? Jesus Christ, I’m never going to be able to think straight again knowing you can do that.” 

Donghyuck giggled, breaking the contact, only to nuzzle his face in Renjun’s neck. 

“I have no clue. You’re my first kiss, you’re my first time doing anything like this,” Donghyuck admitted. Renjun scoffed, intertwining his fingers with Donghyuck’s. 

“Well, let it be your turn now,” Renjun whispered, sitting up and waiting for Donghyuck to move. The younger boy laid back on the pillows, and Renjun slotted himself in between his legs.

The smaller boy’s warm breath barely ghosted his skin, but he could already tell that he couldn’t feel anything but the parts of his body that Renjun was touching. When the older boy’s lips met his skin, it was like heaven. They were soft, warm, and swollen from kissing, but they felt heavenly. Renjun lapped at the skin that stretched over Donghyuck’s adam's apple, and Donghyuck started shaking. 

He was surprised at himself for how weak he was to Renjun’s touch, but he let himself enjoy it. 

Renjun sucked at a spot just below his ear, and he couldn’t control himself anymore. He let out a low groan, his hands sliding up Renjun’s waist under his shirt. Renjun’s hands had found their way to Donghyuck’s hair again, tugging lightly as the younger boy concentrated on his neck. 

Almost hesitant, Renjun nipped slightly at a spot on Donghyuck’s neck, and when he got a good reaction, he bit down a bit harder, tugging at the skin slightly. It left a bright pink mark, something that would stay around for a few days. 

Donghyuck couldn’t take anymore or he felt like he would pass out, so he pulled Renjun’s face up towards his own, joining their lips together. Donghyuck licked at Renjun’s bottom lip, and the smaller boy opened his mouth willingly for the older boy to explore. 

The feeling of Renjun’s tongue against his own drove him crazy, but he couldn’t get enough of it. Donghyuck took the older boy’s bottom lip in between his teeth, pulling on it and sucking on it before he let it go. 

Donghyuck took a deep breath and laid his head back on the pillow, Renjun following his lead as his head landed on his chest. While he was catching his breath, he started absentmindedly running his fingers through Renjun’s hair, or down his neck, or on his waist. 

“That was… I don’t even know how to begin to describe it.” Donghyuck laughed at the tone of shock in Renjun’s voice. 

“Tell me about it. I thought I was going to pass out there for a second,” His comment drew a giggle from the younger boy, and they fell into a comfortable silence. Donghyuck’s eyes fluttered closed, and before he knew it, he was falling asleep. 

_ 

Donghyuck woke up to Renjun’s soft brown hair fluttering over his face, his head still laying on his chest, snoring. He smiled in contentment and played lightly with Renjun’s hair until he started to wake up. 

“Injunnie, wake up, it’s 8:30 and we have practice at 10.” Donghyuck nudged the sleeping boy’s shoulder gently. Once Renjun rolled over, he noticed a purple spot on the side of his neck, and Donghyuck choked. 

“U-uh, I think I got a little too crazy last night…” Donghyuck trailed off as his fingers lightly traced over the small bruise on Renjun’s neck. The smaller boy shivered under his touch before dragging himself out of Donghyuck’s arms and looking in the mirror. 

“Holy shit, Hyuck! How’d you even do that?” Renjun turned to face the older boy and gasped. 

“Yours is even worse,” He groaned, pulling Donghyuck up to look in the mirror with him. 

Renjun was right. Donghyuck had 4 small purple bruises scattered along his neck, along with a red mark that must’ve been where Renjun bit him. He started giggling, and Renjun stared him down. 

“How can you be laughing? What are the rest of them gonna think when we walk out?” Renjun started pacing before Donghyuck grabbed his arms, holding him tightly. 

“It’ll be fine. We’d have to tell them about… this… sooner or later, right?” Donghyuck tried desperately to calm Renjun down, and he finally sat down. 

“I’m gonna go wash my face and get dressed, you should probably do the same thing.” The bed creaked as he stood up, but was quickly pulled back into Donghyuck’s lap as he pulled their lips together. 

Donghyuck sighed into the kiss, his hands cupping Renjun’s face. He would never get over the feeling of kissing Renjun, and how nice it felt to have his body pressed up against him. 

Renjun pulled away first and stood up, stretching, and walked to the bathroom. As Donghyuck heard the sound of the sink, he sighed and ran his hands through his messy hair. 

What was he doing? Was he using Renjun as a distraction from Mark, or did he truly have feelings for him? All these questions swirled around in his head, and he was on the verge of tears until Renjun stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in ripped black skinny jeans and a white and red striped shirt. 

“Cutie.” Donghyuck whispered to Renjun as he got up to get ready. Renjun blushed and lightly hit his shoulder, looking in the mirror to fix his hair. 

As the door shut and he started getting ready, Donghyuck thought about what they would tell the Dreamies. Would they just not talk about it unless the other boys mentioned it? That’s what happened when Jeno and Jaemin first started… whatever they are. 

Donghyuck got dressed in plain blue jeans and a white shirt covered in tiny yellow sunflowers. He took one last look in the mirror before stepping out to face Renjun. 

As they both walked out into the living room together, they had forgotten about the marks on their necks until he heard Jaemin jump up and yell, pointing at them and laughing. 

“Oooh, someone got up to something last night!” Jaemin used his cute voice, and Renjun blushed furiously as Donghyuck hushed him. 

“Shut up. First of all, don’t let Chenle and Jisung hear you. Second of all, you can’t tell me this hasn’t happened to you and Jaemin at least once.” At that, Jaemin blushed before sitting back down. 

“Okay, you’re right, but it’s still funny! So, how far did you guys go?” Jaemin dropped his voice to a low whisper and Renjun blushed even deeper, hiding his face in his hands. 

“We didn’t do anything past that! Swear to god!” Renjun whisper screamed, falling back onto the couch. “We’re not like when you and Jeno first got together. You guys went so fast.” Donghyuck teased Jaemin before Jeno walked out. 

“What happened and why does Hyuck have hickeys?” Jeno stopped dead in his tracks before he looked between Donghyuck and Renjun, his eyes widening. 

“You two- you- ah, I always miss everything!” Jeno fell into Jaemin’s arms, pouting. As Jeno started complaining again, Chenle and Jisung walked out, and Donghyuck decided to get up and change. He dug around in his drawers to find his mustard yellow turtleneck sweater. Although it was hot, it was better than people seeing his hickeys. 

When Donghyuck walked back out, Renjun started laughing hysterically. 

“What, is it too ugly?” Donghyuck feigned innocence and looked down at his sweater, frowning. Jaemin bit back a smile, as did Jeno, and Chenle and Jisung were confused. 

“Did we… miss something?” Jisung asked slowly. “I doubt we’ll get an answer, but it’s worth a shot..” The maknae muttered more to himself and Chenle than the older boys in front of him. 

They all snickered, and Jaemin reached forward and pulled down the neck of Donghyuck’s sweater, making the older boy gasp. Chenle and Jisung shot up off the couch, yelling. 

“Hyuck! How- nevermind that, who?” Chenle demanded, his eyes wide. 

“Take a wild guess. If I wasn’t like this before I got here, and Jaemin and Jeno have their thing, and you and Jisung have your thing…” Donghyuck gestured wildly, hoping Chenle would catch on. 

Jisung gently tapped his shoulder before whispering in Chenle’s ear. Donghyuck covered his ears as Chenle screamed, before Renjun shushed him. 

“Yes, Hyuck and I… may have possibly made out,” Renjun cringed at how he said it. “But it’s not a big deal! It wasn’t this big of a deal when Jeno and Jaemin did it, why is it now?” Renjun pouted at the boys in front of him, and Donghyuck slung his arm around the younger boy’s shoulders. 

“But… Hyuck, don’t you uh, like Mark?” Renjun’s face dropped as Jeno quietly asked Donghyuck the question. 

“I did, but… I like Renjun now,” Donghyuck admitted to the smaller boy, who blushed slightly and looked up at him with wide eyes. 

“Ew. Gross. I’m going to puke.” Jisung pretended to gag, and Chenle giggled loudly. “There are minors here, be respectful.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault you’re underage. You can just make sure you don’t listen.” Jaemin stuck his tongue out at the maknae playfully. 

As he started laughing, Donghyuck’s phone vibrated in his pocket, and he pulled it out to see Taryong calling him. 

“Oh shit, I was supposed to call Taeyong yesterday once I got here, and I forgot…” Donghyuck trailed off, answering the phone and walking to his room. 

“Hi, hyung, sorry I forgot to call you last night.” Donghyuck said sheepishly, anticipating Taeyong to be upset. 

“Oh, it’s fine, hyuck, just wanted to check in and make sure everything was okay.” He could practically hear the older boy pacing as he spoke. 

“Everything is okay, but… Something happened last night. With Renjun.” Donghyuck’s voice got smaller as he sat down on his bed, crossing his legs. 

“Care to elaborate?” Donghyuck hesitated for a moment. “You’re alone, right? No one else can hear?” The anxiety in the younger boy’s voice was obvious. 

“Yeah, I’m alone. Is it serious?” The tone of Taeyong’s voice got more worried, more urgent, and Donghyuck felt bad for making him too worried. 

“Uh, kind of? But not in a bad way,” Donghyuck cleared his throat. “You see, Renjun and I… we may have, uh… made out last night?” 

Taeyong’s noise of surprise was drowned out by glass shattering, followed by a curse word. 

“H-hyung? Everything okay over there?” The shuffling and muttered curse words told him no. 

“Yeah, I just really was not expecting that, and I uh, dropped my glass.” Taeyong replied sheepishly. 

“I know it’s super out of the blue, with how much I talked about Mark to you. At first, the idea of liking Renjun was so… foreign and weird? But the more I thought about it the more I realized that I have feelings for him. Plus he’s a great kisser. Hyung, we made out for 10 minutes tops and I have 4 hickeys and a bite mark.” 

The sound of laughter filled his ear. “Sounds like you two were pretty into it, huh?” 

“Oh my god, it was the best feeling in the world, I almost passed out twice,” Donghyuck giggled. “How do you and Jaehyun-hyung manage to not do that constantly? It’s like heaven.”

“Oh we do it all the time, we’ve just learned how to hide it, and we leave hickeys in places no one can see. It’s actually surprisingly easy.” Taeyong sounded slightly embarrassed at the mention of him and his boyfriend giving each other hickeys. 

“It was just so… amazing. His lips were so soft and he had his fingers in my hair and when he kissed my neck it tingled and almost felt like fire, it’s so hard to describe but it was so great. It was this weird feeling, but it was like a high I could never come down from.” Donghyuck rambled, getting lost in thought. 

“You really, really sound like you like him a lot, Hyuck.” Taeyong sighed. “Just, figure out if this is a distraction from Mark or not so you don’t play with Injunnie’s feelings, okay?” 

Donghyuck nodded, before realizing Taeyong couldn’t hear him. He muttered a response, his voice breaking slightly as the conversation turned serious. 

As they ended their conversation, Donghyuck couldn’t help but think about his next few weeks with the Dreamies. He knew that the younger boys may tease him and Renjun at first, but that they would learn to get used to it and it wouldn’t be awkward after a while. At least, thats what happened with the other sets of couples. 

Donghyuck sighed before standing up, stretching, and making his way over to the door to go back into the living room where the other members were waiting to hear about his conversation with his hyung. 

At least Taeyong and Jaehyun didn’t have to worry about hiding it from anyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so here’s some more renhyuck! sorry if it’s not written the best, i tried, but i hope you like it either way !


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taeyong talks to Johnny about their situation, and Johnny basically confronts Renjun and Donghyuck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this is super soft and fluffy, i was listening to a lot of day6 when i wrote this chapter

Mark had a hard time sleeping the night Donghyuck left. 

Taeyong and Johnny had both come in periodically to check on him, but he was always the same. Mark had curled up on Donghyuck’s bottom bunk, and wrapped himself in his best friend’s blankets. It smelled exactly like him, like warmth and something crisp and fresh, and it made Mark’s heart ache. 

“Mark, you really should come out and eat at least something,” Johnny pleaded. “What if I go out and get you a watermelon?” 

“I’m fine hyung, I promise. I just wish I could sleep.” The door was slightly cracked open, and Mark peaked out from under his cocoon to meet eyes with the older boy standing in the doorway. Johnny sighed, walking in and sitting at the foot of the bed. He laid a hand on Mark’s leg, and the two sat in silence for a moment. 

“Is this about Donghyuck?” Mark’s silence that followed the sudden question was a good enough answer for Johnny. “You two really need to suck it up and just have a heart to heart about this stuff. I can’t stand both of you getting hurt and coming to talk to me about it, like I can do anything. I understand that you’re scared of messing up your friendship or whatever your reasoning is, but it’s tearing you apart and it’s starting to get noticeable.” 

The younger boy’s eyes glossed over as he curled tighter into the familiar smelling blankets. “I know, hyung. I just… he never seems interested in me like that outside of shows or schedules, and it makes me so confused. I never know if he’s being serious or not, and whenever he is affectionate with me when we’re alone we never talk about it.” Mark sighed, sitting up and looking at Johnny with desperate eyes. 

To put it simply, Mark was a mess. His hair shot up in every angle, his eyes were red, puffy, and loaded down with purple rings underneath, and he hadn’t showered in two days. He knew he needed to get it together, but they had a few free days to blow off, and although he didn’t feel like wasting them, he needed a few days to just be an absolute mess. Mark needed a while to just be at rock bottom before he had to pretend he was on top of the world again. 

“You’re gonna just have to talk to him about it. Literally anyone here will tell you that. Taeyong and Jaehyun, me and Ten, WinWin and Yuta, Jungwoo and Lucas… they’ll all tell you to just tell him. Trust me, it’s the easiest thing you could do.” The tone of Johnny’s was the most serious that Mark had ever heard, and he nodded, shutting his eyes and lying back to think about what he would tell Donghyuck the next time he saw him. 

“Uh, Johnny? Can I talk to you for a minute?” Taeyong peeked his head through the door looking slightly concerned, but his expression softened when he saw Mark.  
“You okay, Mark?” Taeyong’s caring side slipped out as he gave the younger boy a questioning look. 

“I could be better. I don’t know what to do about Donghyuck anymore…” Mark trailed off before realizing Taeyong had come in here for a different reason. “I’m fine, go talk to Johnny about whatever parent stuff you guys talk about.”

Johnny laughed while Taeyong pouted, crossing his arms and storming out. Johnny walked out after, leaving with the promise of coming back in a little while.

Mark sighed and stretched out before rolling back over onto his side, curled up like a comma. He thought about the night a few weeks ago when Donghyuck had asked to sleep with him, and he loved the thought of cuddling up next to Donghyuck. 

As sleep took over Mark’s body, he imagined Donghyuk was there, pressed warmly against him, his hair tickling Mark’s face. The thought made Mark feel less empty, less like there was a void in his chest, as he fell into a deep sleep. 

_

“What is it, Taeyong?” The concern in Johnny’s voice is prominent as he shuts the door to Taeyong and Jaehyun’s room. 

“It’s not… bad,” Taeyong says unsurely, looking between Johnny and Jaehyun for confidence. “But it’s a bit of a shock, so you may want to sit down.” 

Johnny took a seat and tilted his head sideways at Taeyong, questioning him. Jaehyun looked just as confused and out of the loop, so whatever it was, it was recent. 

“I just got off the phone with Donghyuck,” Taeyong started gently. “He said that… him and Renjun..” Taeyong trailed off, gesturing between the two younger boys in front of him. 

He huffed before crossing his arms. “They made out. Like, a lot.” 

Johnny gasped, wide eyed. “Seriously?”

“Ask him yourself, if you don’t believe me.” Taeyong smirked. 

“I believe you. Renjun’s had a bit of a crush on Hyuck for a while now,” Jaehyun spoke up, lost in thought. 

“But doesn’t Hyuck like Mark? Hasn’t he for the past, I don’t know, 4 years?” There was a look of disbelief painted on Johnny’s face.  
“Hyuck said that at first he thought the idea of liking Renjun was weird, but when he saw him again he realized he had feelings for him. They’ve already given each other hickeys for crying out loud!” Taeyong looked to Jaehyun for reassurance, and Jaehyun played along, feigning major shock. 

“Wait, really? Maybe I’ll go pay Donghyuck a visit…” Johnny muttered the last part to himself, standing up. 

“Okay, don’t tell anyone yet. I’m going to go talk to them and see if it’s, like, a real thing and they’re serious about it. Until I have that confirmation, we shouldn’t tell everyone.” The two boys in front of him nodded in agreement before Johnny walked out, grabbing his phone, wallet, and jacket. 

He stopped with his hand on the door, and backtracked to Mark’s room. Johnny poked his head in silently, to find Mark sleeping, curled up in Donghyuck’s blankets. 

Of course he’s sleeping in Donghyuck’s bed, Johnny thought. Where else would he be when Hyuck isn’t here?

Johnny sighed as he made his way out of the dorms and to the bus stop to go talk to Donghyuck. He didn’t know what he expected to come out of this conversation, but he at least wanted some clarity.

_

If Donghyuck and Renjun had been almost inseparable before, they were joined together at the hip now. Even though they were doing a schedule and had 2 hours of dance practice, they spent a majority of the time together, messing around and making jokes. Donghyuck had never felt better, he felt like a weight had been lifted off his chest. 

Although he knew his feelings for Mark were still lingering, and they probably always will be, something about Renjun made Donghyuck’s whole world light up. He loved the feeling of Renjun’s hand in his, and how they fit together seamlessly. He loved Renjun’s lips on his skin, and he especially loved it when the smaller boy got territorial and decided to leave marks on the younger boy’s body. 

It had felt so weird and foreign at first, yet somehow it felt so perfect now. Donghyuck had barely thought about Mark all day, except when the other boys mentioned him, and that was a lot of progress for Donghyuck. 

Donghyuck sighed into Renjun’s mouth as all these thoughts raced through his mind. He knew that he couldn’t kiss Renjun forever, but it was so tempting. 

Renjun was on top of him, slotted in between his legs as they both laid back onto the bed. The smaller boy’s tongue had made its way into Donghyuck’s mouth, frantically searching and memorizing every part of the younger boy’s mouth. Donghyuck loved this feeling, the feeling of being wanted and needed, like Renjun couldn’t live without him anymore. 

Donghyuck broke away from the kiss and sucked in a deep breath of air, his hands roaming the older boy’s body. Renjun’s breath hitched in his throat as he lapped at the skin of Donghyuck’s neck, but the younger boy stopped him when he nipped at his skin. 

“I-Injunnie, please make sure you leave marks places where people won’t see,” Donghyuck choked out, throwing his head back against the pillows. “Don’t get me wrong, it’s hot, but we need to be able to keep them hidden.” 

As Renjun kissed his way down Donghyuck’s collarbones and shoulders, the smaller boy’s hands roaming under Donghyuck’s shirt. 

“C-can I take this off?” Renjun’s hands wrapped around the hem of Donghyuck’s shirt as he looked up at him with wide eyes, and Donghyuck nodded frantically. 

“God, yes,” Donghyuck whined. He helped the older boy remove his shirt before laying back on the pillows, suddenly slightly self conscious in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. 

The younger boy wrapped his arms loosely around himself as he made eye contact with Renjun, who smiled lazily at him. 

“You’re pretty,” Renjun said against Donghyuck’s skin as he kissed down the younger boy’s chest and shoulders, occasionally leaving a hickey. 

“Oh, god, Renjun,” Donghyuck moaed out, not caring enough to be embarrassed. “I might pass out. Like, seriously.” 

Renjun giggled against his skin and made his way back up to Donghyuck’s face, kissing him gently. 

Donghyuck’s fingers laced together behind Renjun’s head, and as he was about to move to flip them over, the door burst open, and a very disgruntled looking Johnny was standing in the doorway, wide-eyed. 

Donghyuck pulled a blanket over himself and stuttered in shock. “H-hyung! What are you-?” The question hung in the air, unanswered, before Renjun handed him his shirt, which he slipped back on and sat up. 

“So you really did make out with Renjun, huh.” Johnny stared, dumbfounded, and Donghyuck realized how bad this could seem. 

Donghyuck’s hair was a mess, his face was pink and his lips were flushed and swollen. He had no doubt that Renjun looked the same, save for the small red marks on Donghyuck’s neck and collarbones. 

“So are you two like… serious about this?” Johnny sat down in the chair at their desk, his eyebrows furrowed as he got lost in thought. 

“Definitely,” Donghyuck answered and put his hand on Renjun’s thigh, smiling. “At least, I hope we’re on the same page, or I just lost my first kiss for nothing.” Renjun giggled, but nodded. 

“I’m serious about it, too. I know everyone is assuming we’re not because of the whole Hyuck liking Mark thing, but I know that it doesn’t bother me.” A shy look took over Renjun’s sharp features as he turned his attention towards Donghyuck. 

“I have absolutely no faith that Mark would’ve liked me back if I had told him at any point, so I’m almost over him now anyways, I think.” Johnny perked up, a look of confusion painted on his face. 

“I just don’t want either of you to make dumb decisions and have it affect everything. Taeyong is super worried, so I should get back to him. Plus, Mark misses you, Hyuck. Like, a lot.” The older boy smiles before making his way out. 

“Oh, and by the way… don’t get up to anything too wild. These walls are thinner than you think.” Johnny winked and smiled before finally leaving. 

“So, you don’t like Mark anymore?” Renjun approached the subject with caution. Although it was weird to talk to your almost significant other about who else you like, Renjun was still being touchy with Donghyuck, which meant he trusted him. Renjun was playing with Donghyuck’s fingers, and occasionally he’d kiss the younger boy’s hands. 

“It’s complicated. On one hand, I’ve liked him for 4 years, so it’ll be hard to completely get over him, but on the other, I really like you and it seems easier to get over Mark now that I have you.” Donghyuck froze for a second. “Not that I’m using you as a way to get over Mark, I promise I’m not, it just happens to be a plus, I guess?” 

The smaller boy intertwined his fingers with Donghyuck’s, and the younger boy sighed. 

“I get what you mean, I just wanted to make sure, I guess.” Renjun’s voice was small, tiny, like he was afraid of hurting Donghyuck with the volume of his voice. 

Donghyuck reached forward and pulled Renjun towards him before kissing him deeply. It was a gentle kiss this time, unlike their needy, hungry kisses they’d shared just a few minutes before. 

Renjun pulled on Donghyuck’s hair, which made the younger boy gasp, giving Renjun a chance to slip into Donghyuck’s mouth and deepen the kiss. The smaller boy straddled Donghyuck’s waist, his hands running lightly across the soft skin on the boy underneath him. 

The whimpers that Donghyuck was letting out were definitely embarrassing, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Renjun knew what he was doing to the boy laying underneath him, and the thought of how much power Renjun had over Donghyuck sent shivers running down his spine. 

The younger boy sighed contently, and he pulled Renjun’s face back up to his and kissed him deeply. Donghyuck started kissing Renjun’s jaw, all the way down his neck, and back. 

Suddenly, Renjun’s phone started buzzing, and he reluctantly pulled away to look at it. 

“It’s one of the managers, hold on,” Renjun said as he got up and walked into the bathroom to answer the phone. 

Leaving Donghyuck alone with his thoughts was not the best decision. They were loud and obnoxious, and they never shut up. The question of whether he deserved Renjun or not swirled around his brain as he tried to slowly sort through and process everything that had happened that day. 

By the time Renjun had come back into the room, Donghyuck’s only progress was to realize that he didn’t know how to sort through his feelings. 

If the next few days were going to be like this, they would be the best, and yet also the worst times of his life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a bit of a cliffhanger!~  
i’m sorry if the endings are ever a little awkward or forced, i never quite know how to end a chapter without it being a little weird.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> a lot of making out and hyuck being a nervous mess. enjoy :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this fic is super all over the place, i don't really have a set plot yet, i'm just kind of writing as i go ! i know this took a little more time than the other chapters but it's also a little bit longer

After about a week of being with Renjun non-stop, Donghyuck realized he truly was an amazing person. At first, when he kissed the older boy, it was on impulse, and he didn’t think about what would come after. Luckily, Renjun was easy to start falling for, and Donghyuck found himself thinking of the other constantly. 

Donghyuck hadn’t even realized all of the wonderful parts of Renjun until he looked closer, and he did think this could work. When he thought about his feelings for Mark now, they had almost dissipated completely, and all he could think about was Renjun. 

“Hello? Did you even hear what I said?” Jaemin waved a hand in front of Donghyuck’s face before bringing it back down, continuing to eat his food. “I said, maybe we should try to get the ‘00 liners together to do a Vlive tonight, we haven’t done one in a while.” 

“That sounds fun,” Donghyuck perked up at the idea of just the four of them spending time together, but mostly Renjun. “We should talk to Renjun and Jeno about it later.” 

Jaemin nodded in agreement. “So, you and Renjun, huh? That’s new. I don’t think anyone saw that coming.” 

“I didn’t even see it coming. When I got here last week, once we were about to go to bed, Renjun asked what was wrong, so I started talking to him about Mark. He suggested trying to like someone else, and he had this look on his face, and he just looked pretty.” Jaemin snorted. “It’s true! You can’t tell me you’ve never thought he was pretty before.”

“Okay, I’ll admit, he is cute,” Jaemin took a bite of his food before looking back up. “But you really do like him, right? This isn’t just a distraction from Mark?” 

Donghyuck nodded. “At first, I wasn’t thinking when I kissed him, and it seemed almost weird to like Renjun just because I’ve known him for so long, but once I thought about I decided to just see what would happen. Now I really do have feelings for him, though, and what I felt for Mark is almost gone now.” 

“That’s cute. That’s kind of how I realized I liked Jeno. He always had a weird look on his face when I would talk about liking other people, and I just assumed he felt awkward, but after a few years, I realized it was probably something else. I liked him too and just assumed he’d only ever think of me as his best friend until I heard him talking to Doyoung about me.” Jaemin cut off his ramblings by finishing his food and pushing his plate away. 

“Does Mark know yet?” Jaemin asked quietly, sounding almost afraid. 

“No, but Taeyong and Johnny do, which means Jaehyun definitely does and some of the other hyungs have probably figured it out by now. I’m gonna have to tell Mark eventually though, so I’m planning on doing it once I go back next week.” Donghyuck sighed, leaning back in his seat. 

“Are you and Jeno dating, or just kind of… an unspoken thing?” He tilted his head questioningly at Jaemin, who laughed. 

“Honestly, I don’t even know. We just have our unspoken thing, I guess, because a few months ago when we talked about it he didn’t seem to want it to be super formal and official, so I’m just going day by day. Plus, I think he’s still convinced I’m actually straight and this is too good to be true.” Donghyuck laughed lightly before pulling out his phone to check the time. 

“We should head back if we’re going to make it to practice on time,” Jaemin whined as Donghyuck stood, but got up anyway. They said thank you to the waitress who had taken their order, who waved politely back. 

They talked about random topics while they waited at the bus stop to go to the practice room. As Jaemin cracked a joke that left a wide smile on Donghyuck’s face, the bus pulled up and opened its doors. 

As they both got on, Donghyuck’s grin fell. The same guy who had sat by Donghyuck the last time he rode the bus was on, and Donghyuck quickly bent his head down and headed towards the back row of seats. Jaemin looked confused, but followed anyway. 

Once they sat down, Donghyuck let out a shaky breath. 

“What the hell was that?” Jaemin whispered to him, giving him a confused stare.

“So when I was riding the bus a while ago when I first came back to the Dream dorms, there was this guy on there that I sat next to, and he just made me feel nervous and paranoid,” Donghyuck cringed as he spoke. “I didn’t like it at all.” 

Jaemin nodded slowly, but the look of confusion didn’t leave his features. “So why are we avoiding him? It can’t be that bad.” 

“I just feel so weird. I don’t know why he made me feel that way, it just made me feel off.” 

Donghyuck looked up from Jaemin towards the front of the bus, and he made eye contact with the other Mark. He faked a smile before looking back towards Jaemin. 

“It’s not a big deal, Hyuck. Just forget it.”

They sat in silence, Donghyuck staring out the window to avoid making eye contact with the other Mark again. After a few more stops, Donghyuck and Jaemin stood up to get off, but so did Mark. The two boys cautiously got off, making sure to stick close together. 

The two boys walked slightly faster, hoping to avoid him, even if Jaemin thought he was being dramatic.

Donghyuck relaxed and laced his fingers with Jaemin’s, giggling as they nearly ran down the street for no real reason. 

“Thank you, Nana,’ Donghyuck finally let all of the tension leave his body when they were nearing the dorms. Jaemin shrugged, still swinging their connected hands as they slowed to a walk.

They walked back in silence to the dorms, hands still intertwined. Their hands stayed that way as they walked in and kicked their shoes off, and Renjun pouted when he came out to greet them. 

“Are you already sick of me, Hyuckie?” Renjun gave Donghyuck a cute face, his eyes open wide and a pout on his lips that made the younger want to kiss him. 

“Of course not,” Donghyuck giggle. “I don’t think I ever will be.” 

Donghyuck kissed Renjun softly, which earned some fake barfing noises from Jaemin as he walked out in search of Jeno. 

Renjun sighed into the kiss, wrapping his arms around Donghyuck’s neck. The younger boy let his hands attach to Renjun’s waist as he pushed him against the wall, making the older boy yelp into Donghyuck’s mouth. 

As their hands explored each other, Donghyuck lazily guided them to their dorm room, kicking the door shut with his foot before taking off his jacket, throwing it onto the chair. Renjun grabbed his shirt collar and pulled Donghyuck back, making him fall softly on top of the smaller boy. 

As he settled in between Renjun’s legs, Donghyuck sliding his hands into the shirt of the boy underneath him, smiling into their kiss as he felt Renjun shiver under his touch. The smaller boy’s warm skin felt like heaven to Donghyuck, who decided he liked being the one in control. Although it was amazing to have Renjun’s lips on his skin, something about the fact that he was drawing these noises from Renjun was amazing. 

They continued lazily kissing for a while, still exploring and learning every inch of each other. Renjun had shifted them at some point so that he was straddling Donghyuck, which drove the younger boy crazy. 

Although they almost went further several times, Renjun would always blush deeply and pull back when it progressed. Donghyuck thought it was cute, and he finally pulled away. His head fell back as he took deep breaths, and although he was trying to calm himself, his hands didn’t stop exploring Renjun’s skin. 

“I know I shouldn’t be, but part of me is terrified to tell Mark about this,” the younger boy admitted, his heart rate slowing as he breathed slowly. Donghyuck felt Renjun shift so that his head was on Donghyuck’s chest, his arms wrapping around the back of Donghyuck’s neck. 

“There’s nothing to be scared of, Hyuckie. If Mark is weird towards you, we can go talk to Taeyong. If he really wanted to be with you he should’ve done it sooner, because now you’re stuck with me,” The way Renjun talked made Donghyuck giggle, and he planted a kiss on top of the older boy’s head. 

“I guess you’re right. I’m glad I decided to kiss you the night I came back, Injunnie.” Renjun blushed, looking up at Donghyuck with wide eyes, a small smile on his face. 

A sigh left Donghyuck’s lips as he realized he only had a few more days left with the Dreamies. It’s not that he didn’t want to go back to his hyungs, he just felt embarrassed to have to tell them about Renjun. In that moment, he made up his mind and decided that he wasn’t going to feel weird about being with Renjun, no matter what his hyungs thought. 

“I’m just going to be honest with them, then. I shouldn’t feel bad about being happier with you,” Donghyuck lifted Renjun’s face and kissed him softly, nothing like the kisses they had shared only a few minutes ago. 

Renjun broke the kiss first, smiling up at the younger boy softly. 

“You know, I’ve had a crush on you for 2 and a half years,” Renjun threaded his fingers through Donghyuck’s hair. “I thought it was pointless and you were so in love with Mark you’d never give me a chance, but I guess I got lucky.”

“Well, I’m here now. I never thought about you like that, but the night I came back you just looked so… pretty.” Donghyuck lifted his head into Renjun’s fingers, like a cat. “You were so easy to start falling for, especially since I already knew you so well.” 

Renjun blushed and tried to bury his face in Donghyuck’s neck, but the younger boy held onto his face, keeping eye contact with him. 

“You make me so happy, Injunnie,” Donghyuck kissed the tip of Renjun’s nose, who wiggled his nose and giggle. 

They continued sharing kisses and giggling before it was time to do the Vlive.

It would be Donghyuck, Renjun, Jaemin, and Jeno. As they set up, the managers decided to let them be in the practice rooms by themselves, and just told them not to get too wild. 

The boys had a lot of fun doing it, and they messed around with each other, running around the practice room as they pleased. 

Donghyuck sat back for a moment, a content smile painted on his face, and enjoyed the moment. He couldn’t help but think about how he was leaving in less than a week, but he made a mental note to do more with the boys outside of schedules. 

_

As the week ended, Renjun and Donghyuck spent even more time together before the younger boy had to leave. They’d go out for ice cream or go out to eat together, and sometimes even went on double dates with Jaemin and Jeno. 

In the blink of an eye, suddenly it was time for Donghyuck to pack his things and go back to the other dorms the next morning. He had been procrastinating packing, instead opting to lazily make out with Renjun on his bed. 

Just as things were starting to get heated, Renjun broke away from their kiss, panting. He nuzzled his head into Donghyuck’s neck, leaving light kisses that made Donghyuck forget how to breathe. They continued like that for a while, Renjun peppering kisses all over the younger boy while he ran his hands through the smaller boy’s hair, occasionally tugging when Renjun touched a sensitive spot. 

“I-injunnie,” Donghyuck moaned, arching his back slightly as Renjun nipped at his collarbones, leaving bright red marks on his skin. The smaller boy smiled against Donghyuck’s skin, sending shivers down his spine. 

As his fingers dug deeper into Renjun’s hair, Donghyuck’s eyes shut tight as he took deep breaths, trying to regain his composure, but it was hard when Renjun knew what drove Donghyuck crazy. 

As Renjun’s hands moved up the outside Donghyuck’s thighs to his hips, he bit down hard on his shoulder, and Donghyuck let out a loud moan that surely the other boys heard. Renjun’s hand moved from the younger boy’s thigh to cover his mouth. 

“S-sorry,” Donghyuck’s apology was muffled by the other boy’s fingers as he continued to leave a trail of kisses around Donghyuck neck. Renjun looked up at the younger boy for approval as he moved to unbutton his shirt, further exposing his skin. 

Donghyuck eagerly nodded, shifting slightly so it was more comfortable. Renjun finished unbuttoning his shirt, sending a small smile up at Donghyuck before he continued planting kisses everywhere. 

The younger boy’s breath hitched in his throat, his back arching as he pressed his head further into the pillows. Renjun lapped at the skin just under his collarbone, and Donghyuck had to bite his lip to suppress a moan, drawing blood in the process. The younger boy could feel himself getting too excited, too into it.

“R-Renjun, we need to stop or I’m gonna have a big problem on my hands soon,” The smirk that took over Renjun’s face was enough to make Donghyuck a little bit worried. 

“What if…” Renjun traced shapes onto Donghyuck’s skin before moving up to whisper in the younger boy’s ear. “I leave hickeys on you before you go back to the dorm, to show your precious Mark you’re mine now?” 

Donghyuck started visibly shaking at the growl in the small boy’s voice. Honestly, he thought it was hot. 

“J-just please not too many where the stylists can’t cover it u- oh my god,” Donghyuck lost his train of thought as Renjun began sucking and nibbling at different spots on his neck, jaw, and chest. 

After leaving what Renjun deemed an acceptable amount of small purple blossoms, the smaller boy sat back, content with what he’d done. He started to button Donghyuck’s shirt back up, the younger boy still struggling to catch his breath as he stared wide eyed at Renjun. 

“You being possessive is… kinda hot,” There was a pause. “Okay, it was really hot. I’ve never seen you like that before.” 

Renjun blushed and turned away, standing up and stretching before turning back to give Donghyuck a short kiss. 

“You still need to pack, Hyuckie. Get to it.” Donghyuck whined, but got up to start anyway. He stumbled for a second, his knees still weak. 

With his bags packed, Donghyuck left the room to go to where the rest of the Dreamies were together, the TV playing a random show in the background while they talked and joked. 

“Donghyuckie, please cuddle with me,” Jaemin whined. “Jeno and Renjun won’t get off of each other. We need to get back at them.” The pink haired boy whispered the last part, winking at Donghyuck. 

Before he could overthink it, Donghyuck plopped down on Jaemin’s lap, wrapping his arms around his neck as Jaemin’s hands attached to Donghyuck’s waist. Renjun frowned lightly before squinting at Jaemin. 

“Hey, don’t steal my Hyuck,” Renjun whined. 

“You stole Jeno first!” Jaemin complained back, tightening his grip on Donghyuck. 

“Here we go, the battle of the bottoms…” Jisung muttered under his breath, but everyone still heard him. 

“Did I say that out loud?” The youngest boy’s face turned red as everyone in the room turned to look at him. 

“You think I’m a bottom?” Renjun raised his eyebrows as everyone in the room laughed at him in unison, making him blush and fold his arms across his chest. 

“What, are you gonna tell me you’re not submissive?” Jaemin snorted, turning to Donghyuck for help.

“He has his moments,” Donghyuck smirked at Renjun, who tried retreating back to Jeno before Donghyuck grabbed his wrist, pulling him closer. 

“And who was moaning my name barely an hour ago when I was on top of you?” Jaemin’s eyes widened and he suddenly let go of Donghyuck, who was now staring open mouthed at a satisfied looking Renjun. 

“You know what? I’m gonna pretend I didn’t hear that.” Jaemin got cozy with Jeno just as Renjun settled onto Donghyuck’s lap. 

“There are minors here!” Chenle yelped as Jisung smacked him. 

“They almost forgot, we were finally getting let in on stuff, Lele..” Jisung whined as the subject swiftly changed. 

All of them spent the night like that, spending time with each other and enjoying each other’s presence. As they were getting ready for bed, Donghyuck sulked. 

“What’s wrong, Hyuckie?” Renjun kissed the younger boy’s cheek softly before looking up at him with a questioning look. “Is it that you have to go back tomorrow morning?”

Donghyuck nodded, pulling Renjun down onto the bed with him in an attempt to cuddle, which worked. It happened like when Mark cuddled with him, but this time he felt even safer knowing Renjun cared about him in more ways than just as a best friend, a younger brother. 

“I don’t wanna leave you, Junnie,” The younger boy sniffled, wiping the small tears trailing down his face onto Renjun’s warm hoodie.

“It’s okay, Hyuck, I’ll still be here, and we can text all the time while you’re with the hyungs,” Renjun rubbed Donghyuck’s back as he spoke. “I promise.” 

With Renjun rubbing circles on his back and occasionally playing with Donghyuck’s hair, the younger boy fell asleep, the thought of what he would say to Mark tomorrow left his mind, and it was quiet in his head for the first time all week.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aaa a cliffhanger! also, 100 kudos?? that's insane, thank u so much! i hope everyone enjoys the story so far and it's not too hard to follow along...


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donghyuck leaves the Dream dorms and goes back to the 127 dorms, but doesn't tell his secret to the one person that should be in the loop on his relationship.

Donghyuck woke up to streams of light pouring in through the open window in his shared dorm. He cursed, knowing that he had needed to get up earlier, but Renjun was nowhere to be found as he sat up, stretching and throwing on a random hoodie that was probably Renjun’s, Donghyuck checked the time, seeing it was only 7:45, and he let out a sigh of relief. He still had just over an hour until he needed to leave. But where was Renjun?

Scanning the living room, Donghyuck made his way to the kitchen to find Renjun cooking, an apron tied around his waist and headphones in his ears as he swayed to the music. Donghyuck giggled, sitting at the counter and watching him fondly, a smile stuck on his face. After a few minutes, it seemed that Renjun wouldn’t notice him anytime soon, so he took matters into his own hands.

Sneaking up behind him, Donghyuck laid a light, breathy kiss on Renjun’s neck, his arms wrapping around the older boy’s hips and pulling him close. Renjun shuddered and let out a small yelp, glaring at Donghyuck. 

“You little-” Renjun said before laughing, leaning back into Donghyuck’s embrace. They sat like that for a minute before Renjun moved, but Donghyuck continued to hold tightly onto his small waist. 

“I need to finish these, Hyuck,” Renjun flipped a pancake before turning around to face Donghyuck. 

“But I need cuddles and kisses,” Donghyuck used his whiniest, cutest voice and gave the boy in front of him a small pout. 

“After breakfast, I’m almost done, just let me finish.” Renjun kissed the tip of Donghyuck’s nose, who whined and turned around, where a snickering Jaemin stood. 

“You two are gross. Even Jeno and I aren’t this domestic together, and when we are, it’s not in front of other people. Disgusting.” At Jaemin’s words, although they were teasing, Donghyuck went back to Renjun and started to make kissy sounds and hug the older’s waist tightly. 

It succeeded in embarrassing Jaemin, who turned red and shook his head, muttering curse words under his breath as he sat down. But it also made Renjun flustered, who swatted Donghyuck with the spatula and instructed him to get out of the kitchen. 

“So, any idea what you’re gonna say to the hyungs?” Jaemin broke the ice as they sat together on stools at the counter. 

Donghyuck shook his head, shrugging slightly. “I’ll just say whatever comes to mind, I guess.”

“Alright, we have pancakes, sausage, and eggs. Did someone wake the others up for breakfast?” Renjun interrupted, sounding a bit nervous about the conversation. 

“Jeno is showering, and Chenle and Jisung were up late doing god knows what, so there’s no telling when they’ll wake up. You guys didn’t hear them being all noisy and giggly?” Jaemin shook his head, picking up a plate to get food. 

“Whoever let them room together obviously wasn’t thinking hard enough,” Renjun rolled his eyes. “But no, Hyuck fell asleep as soon as we went back to our room, and it was right on top of me so I didn’t have any other options but to sleep early too.” 

Donghyuck stuck his tongue out at the older as he fixed his plate, setting it down before walking towards the bedrooms. “I’m waking up the babies!”

Knocking on the door, Donghyuck cracked it open to see the two sleeping boys cuddling, but first he noted how messy their room was. Clothes were thrown everywhere around the room, and he made a mental note to tell Renjun to make them clean up later. 

“Wake up, sleepy heads!” Donghyuck opened their curtains, letting light in. “Injunnie made breakfast.”

“Five more minutes…” Jisung groaned and pulled more blankets over him and Chenle, who was still dead asleep. 

“Jesus, what did you do to Chenle last night to make him this exhausted?” Although it was mostly sarcastic, Jisung blushed deeply and dug his face into the crook of Chenle’s neck to hide it. 

“I mean I was joking but did you really go that rough on him?” Donghyuck teased further and pulled the blankets away from the two of them, picking up a pillow and hitting Chenle with it. 

“Nothing!! I swear, Hyuck.” Jisung muttered the last part mostly to himself, but Donghyuck still snickered as he heard it. 

“Alright, make sure he gets up really soon, Renjun is gonna be furious if you guys don’t come eat breakfast with the rest of us.” Jisung nodded, talking softly in Chenle’s ear as he started to stir. 

“They said they’ll be out soon,” Donghyuck sat down at the spot he had left his plate as they all slowly filled the table 

Jeno walked out a few minutes later, ruffling Renjun’s hair before he fixed his own plate. They all ate in silence until Jisung and Chenle made their way out, the older of the two giggling. 

They both said grumpy good mornings before sitting down. Slowly, they all finished their food in silence, and Jaemin and Jisung volunteered to do the dishes while the rest of them waited. 

“I have 45 minutes until I have to leave,” Donghyuck said to no one in particular. 

Renjun suddenly got up, grabbing Donghyuck’s arm and pulling him towards their room as Jaemin and Jeno whistled at them, yelling things about getting a room, and Chenle gave Renjun a knowing look. As soon as they were in the hallway, Donghyuck felt Renjun’s soft lips attach to the skin on his neck, his hot breath making the younger boy shudder as his knees nearly buckled. 

“J-Jesus, no warm up first?” Donghyuck teased. “I see someone’s excit- oh my god,” The younger boy crumpled against the wall, his knees faltering for a split second as Renjun nibbled on Donghyuck’s adam’s apple. 

“B-bedroom, Renjun, or I’ll fall and break something,” Donghyuck wrapped his arms around Renjun, not letting him lose contact, but guided them toward their shared room. The older kicked the door shut before guiding both of them to the bed, lightly pushing Donghyuck back before straddling him, making the younger gasp. 

“Feeling dominant today, are we?” Donghyuck teased, twisting his hands in the hair on the nape of Renjun’s neck to pull him down into a deep kiss. 

Donghyuck’s hands slid from his neck down to his waist, his fingers dipping under the older’s shirt as he explored the soft, honey colored skin that was warming up underneath his touch. Renjun whimpered into Donghyuck’s mouth, who used this opportunity to work his tongue into the kiss. 

They continued lazily making out for a while, just enjoying the feeling of being close, before Donghyuck broke the kiss, inhaling a deep breath as he looked up at Renjun. 

“I’m never gonna get tired of kissing you. It’s addictive,” Renjun breathed out, his lips pink and swollen. 

“Same here. Oh my god,” Donghyuck’s hands continued moving lightly across Renjun’s waist, sending shivers down the older boy’s spine. 

Donghyuck sent a sideways glance at the clock, seeing the still had half an hour left and making up his mind about what he would do. He slid his hands down Renjun’s waist and continued until his hands were on the older boy’s thigh, hands exploring as he lightly rubbed up and down his thighs. Renjun started shaking slightly, his eyes falling shut and he put his arms on Donghyuck for support. 

Donghyuck smirked, flipping the two of them so he was hovering over the older before kissing him softly, smiling as Renjun’s hands found their way to the back of his neck. After a few moments, Donghyuck broke the kiss, moving his swollen lips to Renjun’s sharp jaw, leaving feather light kisses. 

Renjun’s breath hitched in his throat as Donghyuck nipped a part of his jaw before leaving more urgent kisses trailing down the older’s neck. Donghyuck decided that if he would be gone for a few weeks, he would at least leave a few places where Renjun would be reminded of him for at least the next few days. 

“H-Hyuck…” Renjun whined, tilting his head back against the bed to give Donghyuck more access. The younger smiled against his skin, kissing down to his collar bones before thumbing the edge of his shirt. 

“Can I?” As soon as Donghyuck spoke, Renjun nodded frantically, not trusting his voice as he breathed deeply to try and collect himself. As the older nodded, Donghyuck lifted his shirt above his head and tossed it behind him, not caring where it landed as he explored Renjun’s warm skin. 

They stayed like that for a while, Donghyuck leaving dark purple blossoms on Renjun’s pale, small frame. The older of the two made strained noises in response, his hands resting in Donghyuck’s hair as his back arched slightly when Donghyuck paid extra attention to a sensitive spot. 

Donghyuck’s eyes glanced at the clock, noticing their 30 minutes had been cut in half. He slowly kissed up Renjun’s chest to his neck, from his neck to his jaw, slowly making his way towards the older’s lips, kissing him teasingly slow and gently. 

Despite Donghyuck starting it gently, he couldn’t deny Renjun, especially when he looked so perfect with his face flushed down his neck and chest, bright marks scattered across his body. As Renjun’s hands attached to Donghyuck’s waist again, the younger boy’s hands were on Renjun’s hips, lightly tracing down his thighs and back up again, making the older shiver. 

Renjun broke away quickly when there was a knock on the door, scrambling to put his shirt back on as Donghyuck attempted to fix his hair. His hands smoothed down the wrinkles Renjun’s tight grip on the fabric of his shirt had made, glancing up to see Renjun full dressed again. 

“Come i-” The door burst open, and all 4 of the boys streamed in, one after the other. Although they knew they interrupted something since Renjun’s face was still extremely flushed, they ignored it, instead opting to yell things at Donghyuck in unison. 

“Donghyuckie, you’re leaving me-”

“Hyuck, Renjun’s just going to complain the whole time you’re gone-”

“Please come back soon, but tell the hyungs we said hi-”

“Guys!” Jaemin yelled over Jeno, Jisung, and even Chenle, who pouted before folding his arms over his chest. “One at a time, please.” 

“We’ll miss you, Hyuck!” Chenle spoke up quickly to get his words in. “Please be safe and don’t push yourself too hard, but tell the hyungs we love them!” 

“I hate when you leave because every time Renjun starts to stress clean,” Jisung laughed lightly. “And I guess I’ll miss you while you’re gone.”

“Don’t forget about us,” Jeno pouted, putting on his cutest face as everyone groaned loudly. 

“Honestly Donghyuck,” Jaemin said seriously before a wicked grin took over his face. “I’ll miss you but when you’re gone Renjun cuddles with me so it’s a win-lose situation.”

Donghyuck reached forward and punched Jaemin lightly before laughing loudly, looking at his best friends in front of him. 

“Guys, don’t be dramatic, I’ll only be gone for a month or two.” Everyone in the room pouted, and Renjun nuzzled his head into Donghyuck’s shoulder. “Besides, you have each other to keep you company.” 

Donghyuck glanced at the clock. Five minutes. 

“Group hug, guys, I have to leave soon.” 

They all piled in, hugging tightly and squeezing the air of Donghyuck’s lungs. Jaemin snuck a few kisses onto his cheek as Renjun dramatically glared at Jaemin in protest. 

After they all broke away, Donghyuck pulled Renjun into a tight hug, digging his face into the crook of the older’s neck. 

“I’ll miss all of you. I gotta go though,” He picked up his bag, fingers intertwining with Renjun’s as he slowly walked to the door, his head bowed down low. As they reached the door, Donghyuck gave Renjun one last chaste kiss before opening the door. 

“Love you guys. Don’t have too much fun without me.” And with that, he walked out, his arms tightening around himself as he made his way to the bus station. 

The bus ride back was silent and uneventful. Donghyuck loved to be with his hyungs in 127, but he would still miss the Dreamies to death every time he left. 

The bus pulled up to his stop, and he hit the button, making his way off and into the sunny streets. Although it may be a weird day for Donghyuck, everything around him carried on as usual, as if he hadn’t just almost burst into tears in front of the rest of the Dreamies. 

He shakily pulled out his key as he walked up to the dorm doors, his nerves starting to show as he unlocked the door slowly. Surely no one else would be awake and he’d be able to sleep some more and collect himself. 

“Donghyuck!” He heard Taeyong yell from the kitchen, coming out with a wooden spoon in his hands. “We missed you!” 

Donghyuck inwardly groaned at seeing so many people up and about already, but still gave Taeyong a warm hug. “Hi, hyung.” 

Taeyong let go, walking back towards the kitchen where he was making breakfast. “You hungry?” 

“No, Renjun made me breakfast this morning. All of us ate together before I left.” Donghyuck’s voice sounded distant, almost cut off from reality. Taeyong could obviously tell, but didn’t seem to show it. 

“Well, go say hi to the rest of them, almost all of them should be up by now.” As he was shooed out of the kitchen, Donghyuck sent a worried glance Taeyong’s way, who shrugged and nudged him one last time. 

“I’m back, hyungs! Miss me?” Donghyuck put on his cutest voice, kicking his shoes off and throwing his bag down before plopping down on the couch and snuggling up to Jungwoo, who smiled and returned the side hug. 

As they caught up, sharing stories of the past few weeks and enjoying each other’s company, Donghyuck fell into a comfortable conversation, the thought of the secret he was hiding still present in the back of his mind but not quite being his main focus anymore. He was enjoying his time with his older members, and he decided the next time there was a lull in the conversation he’d bring up him and Renjun, even if not all of them are there. Which, of course, the pause in voices happened too quickly, but Donghyuck quickly cleared his throat and spoke up. 

“So I have news,” He began shakily, cursing himself in his head as he calmed himself. “It’s not bad but it’s… a lot. Jaehyun-hyung, you already know I’m assuming, since Taeyong does. And that means Johnny probably knows too.” 

Jaehyun’s nod of confirmation was all Donghyuck needed to continue. 

“Basically, uh…” He glanced nervously around the room.”There’s no easy way to put it. Renjun and I made out, and now we’re kind of a thing?” Donghyuck sheepishly scratched the back of his neck as the rest of them processed the information. 

“So,” Doyoung was the first to speak up, but dropped his voice to just above a small whisper. “Do you not like Mark anymore?”

“I was talking to Renjun about him the first night I got to the Dream dorms, and there was just this odd look on his face, but I assumed he just felt awkward.” Donghyuck took a deep breath. “And for some reason, on that night in particular, I just thought he looked gorgeous. So when he suggested I try to like someone else, I kissed him on a hunch.” 

Doyoung nodded, sitting back in his chair. None of them seemed overly shocked after he gave more details, but it still felt like a weight lifted off Donghyuck’s chest. 

“Mark doesn’t know yet, but let me tell him in my own time, please?” Donghyuck winced, realizing how strange the request sounded, but no one objected. 

“Have you guys done it yet?” Jungwoo piped up, earning a smack on the arm from every person in his vicinity, which was all of them since they were so close together. 

“No, but there have been a lot of hickeys. You should’ve seen Renjun the morning after we made out for the first time, but I was even worse. I didn’t know Renjun could be so, like…” 

“Dominant?” Jaehyun teased, a smile dancing across his features, but Donghyuck nodded, eyes wide. 

“Do we get to see any hickeys or are you just going to keep saying it?” Jungwoo earned a harsh stare from Doyoung. “Hey, as a great philosopher once said, ‘pics or it didn’t happen.’”

Donghyuck sighed, tugging his shirt collar so the top half of his chest was on display, where about 7 hickeys were scattered, some darker than others, some already fading. 

“Dam, Renjun really knows how to get it, huh?” Yuta snickered before giving Donghyuck a questioning look. “Where’d either of you even learn stuff like that?”  
Donghyuck shook his head. “I don’t even know, he’s my first kiss and from then we just did whatever seemed right. It was really cute though, because as soon as it started to progress past just making out and neck kisses, things like that, Renjun would blush and stop whatever he was doing and just kiss me really gently” 

A bright smile found its way to Donghyuck’s face, which his hyungs returned. 

“We’re just glad you’re happy, Hyuck,” Taeyong yelled from the kitchen, flashing a perfect smile in his direction. “But you have to tell Mark eventually, don’t procrastinate.” Taeyong threateningly pointed a rubber whisk at him, but the fake angry look was quickly off his face as a small smile took its place. 

“I will, once I figure out how I’m gonna say it.” 

Donghyuck drifted off in thought as the conversation changed to their upcoming schedules, but his brain was filled with Renjun and the looming thought of telling Mark about his newfound relationship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'm sorry this took longer than the rest of the chapters! i'll make sure i try to keep more of a once a week schedule for updating from now on.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mark finally finds out and Donghyuck unknowingly comforts him through the whole thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this chapter is all over the place, but enjoy!

Mark spent the day before Donghyuck was supposed to come back anxious and pacing. His stomach tied in knots, he tried to sort through his head and think about what he’d say to Donghyuck when he got back. Surely it couldn’t be that complicated, talking to Donghyuck never was, but if he was going to confess he would do it the right way, not forced or rushed. 

“Hey Taeyong-hyung?” As Mark’s head poked out of the crack in his door, he heard Jaehyun yell in response. 

“He went out for lunch with Doyoung and Johnny! You need something?” Mark stepped all the way out into the hall, finding Jaehyun in his and Taeyong’s room, curled in his armchair reading a book. 

“I need to talk to someone about Donghyuck. I’m assuming anything Taeyong knows you know too, so talking to you would be helpful too,” Mark thought he saw a trace of shock on the older’s face, but if it was there it was quickly replaced with a thoughtful look. 

“Mhm. So what is it, Mark?” Jaehyun turned his head to the side questioningly as he set his book down, a small sheet of paper going in between the pages to save his spot. 

“I think…” Mark started before taking a deep breath, running his hands through his hair out of nervous habit. “I think I might be in love with Donghyuck.”

It came out mumbled and slightly breathy, but he knows Jaehyun heard it when he laughs airily, as if he was expecting something far worse. 

“Duh. It’s only taken you, like, 6 years to figure it out,” Jaehyun shrugged. “Maybe make sure your feelings are definite and see if he acts like he likes you back before you tell him? Just to make sure you don’t rush into things, if that makes sense. As if 6 years wasn’t long enough.” 

Mark nodded, sighing as he ran his hands across his face. “This is too complicated. I just want to get this over with, but at the same time I can’t seem to make myself just do it.” 

Jaehyun nodded, slipping a bookmark into his book before shutting it and setting it down gently on the desk. 

“You just need to wait for a few days, maybe a week, be sure of everything and sort through everything going on in your head, and figure out how and when you’re going to say it. I promise once you’re sure on how you feel and can somewhat put it into words, it’s not too hard after that.” The silence that filled the room after Jaehyun’s speech was cut short by his phone ringing. “It’s Taeyong, I have to take it.” 

Mark sighed, taking the hint and leaving the room to continue his pacing. 

He knew he loved Donghyuck, it was that simple. But was he willing to risk their friendship because his feelings wouldn’t stop bugging him? Donghyuck most likely didn’t like him back, but Mark couldn’t live with his feelings anymore.

Mark decided that he would confess to the younger boy once he got back the next day. 

_

“Mark!” Donghyuck smiled at the older boy, running to him and hugging him tightly. 

All of the anxiety Donghyuck had about seeing Mark vanished in an instant as he clung to him. Mark smiled softly as his hands found their way to Donghyuck’s back, tightening their grip on him. “Hi, Hyuck.” 

Donghyuck pulled away, but kept his distance from Mark to a bare minimum.

“We should go out for lunch together, just the two of us. I have something I need to tell you.” The excitement buzzing off of Donghyuck could almost be heard, and Mark didn’t have the heart to kill his mood as he agreed. It was already 11:30, after all, and he hadn’t eaten yet that day. 

“Sure, I just need to go get dressed first,” Mark flashed a smile at the younger boy, who nodded. 

“Me too, I slept in these so I feel kind of gross,” Donghyuck glanced down at his stolen hoodie. “And I’m pretty sure this is Renjun’s.” 

Mark’s stomach flipped at the thought of Donghyuck wearing his hoodies, being slightly swallowed by them despite the fact that he wasn’t that much taller than him. He shook his head to get himself to stop thinking about that.

Donghyuck followed Mark to their shared room and started to unpack his bags, humming softly to himself. Mark took that moment to go to the bathroom, shut the door and take a long, deep breath. 

This wasn’t a big deal. It was just two friends going out for lunch. But what did Donghyuck need to tell him?

Mark tried not to let his mind ponder the possibilities as he got dressed in his typical black jeans. He decided to wear a dark red long sleeved shirt with them. Mark stepped out of the bathroom to see Donghyuck had already changed into an oversized navy blue sweater and light blue jeans. Mark thought he looked adorable. 

But, just on the edge of Donghyuck’s collar, Mark thought he could see a purple spot that resembled a hickey, but he couldn’t tell if it was just the light or not. 

“Let’s go?” Mark tried to distract himself. Why would Donghyuck have a hickey?

The younger nodded, slipping his shoes on and making his way to the door. Mark followed, holding the door open for Donghyuck as they stepped out into the warm afternoon sun. 

They walked in eager silence to the diner they always ate at together, not quite awkward but not as comfortable as they usually are. 

As they sat down, Donghyuck folded his hands and set them on the table. “I have very serious business matters to discuss with you.” 

Mark cocked his head to the side before Donghyuck started giggling brightly. “Sorry, I’ll stop joking, but I really do have something important to tell you.” 

“Oh, really? Me too. I-” Mark cut himself off. “You go first, hyuck.” 

“Alright, prepare yourself, because this has shocked literally everyone else. I even made Taeyong drop and break his glass when I told him.” Donghyuck’s smile faded as his face turned serious. “So Renjun and I… we kind of started dating?”

Those nine words were all it took for Mark’s heart to flutter to the ground in a thousand pieces. He felt his stomach drop as Donghyuck gave him that look, with his eyes bright and a thoughtful expression on his face. 

“O-oh,” Mark stuttered out. “That’s nice? I mean, that’s good for you two, if you’re happy.”

Mark paused for a moment before he shifted in his seat. “Is that why you look like you have a hickey on your shoulder?”

Donghyuck blushed but nodded, adjusting the neck of his sweater so it covered the purple mark. “I know this is really sudden, but the night I went to the Dream dorms, everything was normal and as we were going to bed we were talking and we ended up kissing. Then the next day I called Taeyong and told him, and I know he told Jaehyun and maybe Johnny, but when I got back this morning I told the rest of them except you. You weren’t there when I got home,” Donghyuck pouted. 

“Sorry, I was asleep and then I got up and showered, but I didn’t want to interrupt you and the others. You looked like you were having a serious conversation.” Mark sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. 

“You’ve never had any problems interrupting before,” The younger bit back, a small smile on his face. “Anyway, your turn. What did you need to tell me?” 

“Oh, it’s nothing. It was something stupid, I already forgot,” Mark stumbled over his words as he struggled to get an excuse out. Donghyuck raised an eyebrow at him, shrugging. “I won’t make you tell me this time.” 

And with that, they finished eating, Donghyuck talking about whatever came to mind while Mark tried to keep himself together until he could go home and fall apart. 

_ 

After they got home from lunch, Mark went straight to their room, saying he needed a nap before he came out with the rest of them. Donghyuck shrugged and flopped down on the couch with Jaehyun. 

“So I told him,” Donghyuck voice was muffled by the couch, but Jaehyun heard him anyway. 

“How’d it go?” Sighing, the younger sat up, looking at the older. 

“It could’ve gone worse, but he had this weird look on his face the whole time. I guess it’s still just super unexpected, so I wouldn’t be surprised if he felt weird about it, but he didn’t mention it again after I told him.”

Jaehyun nodded, turning to look at Donghyuck. “Are you happy with how it went?” 

Nodding, Donghyuck turned to Jaehyun. “Do you think I rushed into things with Renjun? I mean, now that it happened, I’m really happy and I really like him, but part of me is scared I went too fast.”

Sighing, Jaehyun looked away for a moment before speaking. “No, not if you’re happy with what happened. I think at first it may have been in hopes for a distraction from Mark, but now you’ve found something genuine and that’s what matters.” 

“Thanks, hyung,” Standing up, Donghyuck made his way to his dorm room, remembering Mark was there. 

“Hey Mark?” Donghyuck cracked the door open, stepping in to find Mark curled up on his bottom bunk. “Whoah, are you okay?” 

“Maybe?” The mound of blankets sniffled out, shifting slightly to reveal Mark’s red, puffy face. 

“What’s wrong, Markie?” Hand rubbing soothing circles on Mark’s back, Donghyuck settled next to the pile of blankets. 

“I don’t know, mostly just…” He trailed off, trying to find his words. “Almost everyone has paired off with someone except for me. There Jeno and Jaemin, Jisung and Chenle, Johnny and Ten, Taeyong and Jaehyun, Yuta and Winwin, you and Renjun… I just wish I had someone, you know? I just feel lonely.” 

“Well, I know I’m not available dating-wise, but I’m still here for you whenever you need it. You can talk to me about anything and if you’re serious about it I won’t make fun of you, I promise.” Donghyuck looked at Mark and smiled, making the older smile slightly. 

“I know, I just feel like I’m complaining too much when it’s not a big deal.” Mark sniffled, shifting to lay his head in Donghyuck’s lap. 

“Well, you can talk to me about anything, okay? No matter how stupid it is,” Donghyuck wiped the tears off of Mark’s face. 

Donghyuck didn’t know he was comforting Mark because of how he himself had hurt the older, but he comforted him either way. They stayed like that for a while, just talking about anything and everything, until Taeyong called them out to play games.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> again, sorry that this fic is so all over the place, i'm still figuring out where i want it to go


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW for mentions of eating disorders! if you're uncomfortable reading this, it's basically Mark talking about overworking himself/stuff he's dealt with in the past
> 
> this chapter is super angsty ! a lot of fighting so be prepared

Donghyuck woke up the next night to the door creaking slowly open, revealing an exhausted Mark, his hair clinging to his forehead with sweat and his bag slung over his shoulder. Sitting up and running his fingers through his hair, Donghyuck sighed, already sensing a repeat of what had happened barely a week ago.

"Mark Lee!" Donghyuck yelled in a low whisper. "It's literally ass o'clock in the morning, what the hell are you doing coming home this late?" 

"Just got lost in practice. I'm sorry," Mark mumbled, shrugging off his bag as he walked past Donghyuck to head to their shared bathroom. To stop him, Donghyuck grabbed Mark's wrist, pulling him back and hugging him tightly. 

"Don't do this again," Donghyuck whispered, his voice breaking ever so slightly. "I can't handle that happening to you. It's already starting just like how it did last time, but this time I won't hesitate to get Taeyong involved if you don't stop before it gets worse." 

Around two and a half years ago, Mark had thrown himself into practicing, devoting all of his time and more to dancing. It started out okay considering he was about to debut in a new group, but even after they debuted he continued pushing himself. No one realized how bad it had gotten until Taeyong found Mark passed out alone in a practice room, his face pale and sunken in. 

It turned out, not only had Mark been exhausting himself by practicing too much, he had stopped eating like he should with how much he was practicing. Donghyuck hadn't thought anything of Mark practicing considering it was their job, but once he put the pieces together it was too late. 

Taeyong made Mark get help to start recovering, and also limited his time in the practice room to no more than an hour a day unless it was group practice. He had also made Donghyuck promise to make sure Mark was eating enough and wasn't sneaking out to practice more. 

"I'm sorry, Hyuck," the older's voice was muffled by Donghyuck's shoulder as Mark let himself relax in the younger's arms, letting out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding. 

"Is this... about what you told me the other night?" He felt Mark nod against his shoulder. 

"Mark, you'll find someone at some point, I promise," Donghyuck rubbed soothing circles onto Mark's back."And if you don't find someone to be with like that, I'll still be here to be your nighttime cuddle buddy, I promise. Me being with Renjun doesn't change anything that we used to do. We'll still be Markhyuck, okay?" 

Stretching, Mark stood up before muttering a small agreement. "I'm gonna go shower," he groggily made his way to the bathroom. "You better still be awake to cuddle the shit out of me when I'm done." 

Donghyuck giggled before nodding, taking his phone out as he made himself cozy again, happy to see the small smile flash across Mark's face. 

_

"Donghyuck!" 

The Dreamies had come to visit the 127 dorms, and Donghyuck had forgotten how much he missed seeing Renjun in person everyday. 

When Taeyong opened the door, all five of them filed in, all giving the older member a hug before moving towards the living room where the rest of the members were. But, as soon as Renjun made it into the living room, he spotted Donghyuck and threw himself at him, his arms wrapping tightly around the other's neck in a much needed hug. 

"I missed you," Renjun mumbled in Donghyuck's ear, who snorted before getting lightly slapped on the shoulder by the boy hugging him. 

"I missed you too, but it's only been, like, a week, Junnie," Donghyuck kissed his cheek before pushing Renjun up. "Now go say hi to the rest of the hyungs, they feel left out. 

After about an hour of just lounging around spending time together, Renjun in Donghyuck's arms almost the entire time, they all went out to eat at their typical restaurant. All of them except one person; Mark. 

Donghyuck didn't let the older boy's absence go unnoticed, and he was on edge the entire time they were eating, despite Renjun's reassuring hand resting on his thigh the entirety of the meal. He made a mental note to himself to ask Taeyong about it later if he couldn't ask Mark himself. 

"Wait, where's Mark-hyung?" Jisung slips in when there's a crack in the conversation, curiosity clear in his voice. "Did no one notice he wasn't here until just now?" 

"I noticed, but I wasn't gonna make a big deal out of it, I was just going to ask him about it tonight when I saw him in our room," Donghyuck admitted, glancing towards a skeptical looking Taeyong. He lightly shrugged at the older boy, giving him a look that said to talk later. 

"Well, I'm sure if he's missing this, whatever he's doing is important," Johnny puts in. "it's not like Mark to skip group meals like that." 

The table murmured in agreement before the normal, excited chatter started up again, leaving Donghyuck to his own thoughts. Where was Mark? Why would he skip? Was it because of him? And if it was, what had he done wrong? 

As these thoughts raced through his mind, he was brought back to his senses by Renjun gently rubbing circles on his thigh, giving him a concerned look. 

"Earth to Hyuckie," Renjun pats his thigh before turning back to his own food. "You've barely touched your food, you better eat it or Jungwoo will." He nodded to the boy across from him who was eyeing his plate. 

"You can have some of it, hyung," Donghyuck nudges his plate forward despite Renjun giving him an evil glare. "I'm not hungry, but I'll eat later, I promise." 

Renjun sighed but still fed Donghyuck a bite of the chicken he was eating as they integrated their way back into the different conversations around them. 

_

After they all finished eating, they rode the bus back, dropping the Dreamies off at their dorms. Renjun and Donghyuck had shared a kiss when they were at the dorm entrance, which drew a lot of yells from everyone around them about getting a room, and Donghyuck flipped them all off when Taeyong wasn't paying attention. 

As they made their way back to their own dorms, Donghyuck decided to stop by the practice room and give Mark his leftovers. He voiced this out loud, and wandered off towards the practice rooms, where he peeked through the windows of each until he spotted a familiar person. 

"So," Donghyuck started, setting the food down on a bench and crossing his arms tightly across his chest. "This is what you ditched the group lunch for, huh?" 

Mark faltered for a moment before nodding, and in that moment he looked like a puppy who'd just gotten scolded. Donghyuck almost felt bad, but he was starting to be more angry than he was upset. 

"What did I tell you last night?" Donghyuck's loving side came out in the form of anger. "You're going to end up over working yourself again if you don't stop before you get just as bad as you were the last time." 

"Can you get off my back? I'm just practicing, that's a good thing right? Or should I not focus on getting any better at anything?" Mark snapped back and looked up at Donghyuck, who immediately froze. 

Mark's face portrayed pure exhaustion. His cheeks were sunken in, there were half circles under his eyes that were painted a faint purple, and the hunch in his posture made Donghyuck pause for a few moments before collecting himself again. 

"Really, Mark? You've known me for what, six years? Almost seven? And you think I'm going to pretend not to notice whatever is going on with you?" The irritable tone of his voice made Mark flinch, and Donghyuck almost felt guilty before he told himself someone had to be blunt with Mark or something awful would happen again. 

"Look, I told you last night, I'm just practicing," Donghyuck laughed at that, and a look of shock took over Mark's expression.

"You want me to believe that? After what happened last time? How stupid do you think I am?" Donghyuck scoffed, pursing his lips. Mark looked down at the ground. 

"You look like a walking corpse," Donghyuck's voice became gentle as he set a hand on Mark's shoulder. "There is no way you genuinely think I'll believe that. I know you better than I know myself at this point, how could I?" 

Mark's shoulder sank down as he relaxed into Donghyuck's touch, his breathing becoming shaky as tears formed in his eyes. 

"I'm sorry. It's just so easy to get distracted in dancing and music, it's like my escape. I know it's weird and I know I need to get better at not getting so sucked in, it's just an easy way to force myself to put my energy and time into something, you know?" Mark looked up at Donghyuck with glassy eyes, his cheeks flushed and tears threatening to spill from behind his glasses. 

Donghyuck nodded, running a shaky hand through Mark's hair as he sat down next to him. "You have to remember that you can talk to any of us about this stuff, hyung." 

A small smile flitted across Mark's's face before quickly dissipating and getting replaced by a look of nervousness. 

"I know, I just haven't wanted to bother anyone, especially you, because you've looked so happy lately," His voice was tiny as he spoke, and Donghyuck pulled him closer. 

"Just know that no matter what, you'll still be my best friend, and I'll still be yours." 

_

"No, I'm not saying I'm jealous, I'm just saying that you're constantly on your phone texting him when you're with me!" 

Several weeks later, Donghyuck was staying with the Dreamies. Although he was happy to spend time with them, Renjun didn't seem too thrilled when Donghyuck arrived, and at first Donghyuck thought he had done something completely awful, but after knowing why the older was mad at him, he didn't see a problem. 

"Because he's still my best friend! He's overworking himself again, and if I don't check up on him it's just going to end up like last time, and you know that, Renjun." Donghyuck huffed angrily, gesturing wildly with his hands as he spoke. 

"I just feel like you'd rather be with him since you're making so much time for him all of a sudden," Renjun's voice was the smallest Donghyuck had ever heard it as the older boy looked down at the floor. 

"You know that's not the reason I'm texting him a lot," Donghyuck sighed. "I'm sorry that I've been acting distant, I promise I'll make more time for you outside of practice, I just don't want Mark to fall back into his old habits. After how little I paid attention to him the last time he did stuff like this, I would never forgive myself again if it happened again and he pushed himself too far." 

As if Mark could hear them, Donghyuck's phone pinged from where it was sitting on the desk. Both boys turned their eyes to it before Renjun glanced back at Donghyuck. 

"Are you going to text him back?" The disappointment in Renjun's voice was obvious, but Donghyuck turned his full attention towards him. 

"Not yet. We're not finished talking through this. I need you to understand that I'm not ignoring you on purpose," Donghyuck took Renjun's hands in his, and the older boy's breath hitched in his throat before his gaze flickered up to Donghyuck's. 

"I know, I just... it's hard to think that when you could still have feelings for him, and I just feel like you'll decide he's better for you than me," Tears welled up in Renjun's eyes as he inched closer to Donghyuck. The younger wrapped his arms around the other, who quickly melted into his touch. 

"I don't plan on doing anything even close to that anytime soon," Donghyuck rested his chin on top of the older's head. 

"How do I know that? You have also said before you'd never like anyone other than Mark, and here we are," Renjun sniffled, his hands clutching at Donghyuck's shirt. 

"I promise, Injunnie," Donghyuck tried his best to keep his voice steady. "I won't hurt you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so this took a lot longer to write than i thought... i'm kind of lost on where i was originally planning on taking this story to be honest, but i'm gonna try anyways because i really do love writing it. 
> 
> edit: this chapter made it perfectly 20,000 words... i didn't plan it i promise haha  
insta ~ @ idkwoosan


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m so sorry for the really long gap!! school was kicking my ass and then the past few weeks have just been weird considering the circumstances 
> 
> i hope everyone is being safe and doing okay! enjoy this kinda long chapter :)

“I promise Injunnie, I won’t hurt you.” 

Those 7 words were all it took for Mark to realize he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

He had decided to come visit the Dreamies, specifically Donghyuck, because he missed him a lot and they’d both been too busy lately to actually spend any time together. When he came in, no one was in the living room, so he assumed they were all in their rooms, but only found Renjun and Donghyuck in the middle of an argument. 

“I just feel so… unimportant compared to him sometimes. Like he’s more significant in your life than I am, which I understand, you’ve loved him a lot longer and he is still your best friend, but I just feel like you make more time for him than for me,” Renjun sniffled, hands laying limply by his sides as he stared down at his feet. “As selfish as it sounds, I know it can’t be healthy to feel like that and not tell you.” 

“Renjun, I swear I’ll make more time for you, but for right now I have to make time for him, you know how he gets when he over works himself,” Mark froze for a second, head twitching closer to the door so he wouldn’t miss a word. That means that whoever Donghyuck is making time for is either a trainee, one of their members, or someone from another group?

“Besides, my feelings for Mark are almost gone anyways. I wouldn’t have kissed you that night if I didn’t want to carry through with this, Injun, I promise. I’m just… struggling to balance him and you right now, because I’d never forgive myself if he does that to himself again.” 

Donghyuck liked… him? Mark stood up, face as pale as a sheet of paper as he backed away from the door. His hands flew to his hair, as was his habit, and twisted painfully, but it was nothing compared to the pounding of his heart in his chest. 

“I know, I’m just too insecure, I guess. I’m sorry,” The swishing sound in Mark’s ears almost drowned the frail voice out, but Mark decided he’d intruded on their argument long enough. He didn’t even think twice about the noise he was making when he walked rather loudly out the door, leaving a strange mood to settle over the dorms. 

Mark had held it together the whole way home, and even as he passed all of his members, but as soon as he stepped into the safety of his room, he lost it. He sank down against the closed door, shoulders already shaking from forming sobs. He felt like there was a construction crew inside him, drilling and nailing away at his insides until he was blinded by the aching inside his chest. 

“God, I’m so stupid,” Mark muttered to himself, hands twisting their way into his hair as he tried to even his breathing. He couldn’t lose it too much, because if someone walked in, it was clear that something was wrong. 

“Hey Mark?” The door creaked open after Mark had gotten up to splash cool water on his face to get rid of the puffiness from the tears. “Is… everything okay?”

Of course, like always, Taeyong was here to put Mark back together when Donghyuck had broken him into pieces. 

“No, but I know you’d rather be doing something else than listening to my problems, so you can go if you want, hyung,” Mark fell onto his bed, hugging his pillow, the one Donghyuck always used when they slept together, tightly to his chest. 

“Mark, you know I don’t mind helping, right? It’s what I’m here for, as your leader and your hyung,” Taeyong sat at the foot of Mark’s bed with a soft, loving look in his eyes. 

Sighing, the younger of the two sat up, still clutching the pillow, and looked up at Taeyong. 

“So I went to visit the Dreamies since I haven’t seen them in a while,” Mark talked slowly, carefully choosing his words as he fidgeted with the pillow case, refusing to make eye contact with Taeyong. 

“I walked in and no one was out in the living room, so I went back to the bedrooms to look and I…” The tears started to come back as Mark thought back on the words that were said and the tone in their voices as they spoke. “I guess everyone was gone, except for Renjun and Donghyuck, and they were… arguing? They weren’t quite yelling, but it didn’t sound like a happy conversation.” 

Mark dared to look up at Taeyong, and he could see the look of worry on the older’s face. He swallowed harshly and continued. 

“They were talking about their relationship I guess, and Renjun was talking about Donghyuck being too busy and making more time for someone else. I just assumed it was one of the other members, or a trainee that Donghyuck had become friends with, but then he said my name…” Mark shuddered as he remembered the pleading tone in Donghyuck’s voice. As numb as he was right now, it still pained him to hear Donghyuck sound that broken, that desperate.

“Is there more that he said?” 

The words hit Mark harder than he expected as he replayed the way his name fell off of Donghyuck’s lips. 

“Renjun said he felt jealous, and Donghyuck talked about how he didn’t…” Mark’s voice broke as he took a deep breath to calm himself. “Didn’t like me anymore. But that means he liked me at some point, and I freaked out and ran out, and I may have slammed the door a little.” 

Taeyong nodded before leaning back against the wall, thinking. 

“Well, it’s been obvious that you two have liked each other for a long time, basically everyone in this house knows, both of you were just too insecure to realize it. As for the not anymore part, did you really expect him to wait for you to make a move forever? No offense, but you’re obviously the top out of the two of you, so if anyone was going to initiate it, it would’ve been you.”

As the younger boy took all of this in, small sobs started shaking his body as he curled up with the pillow pressed tightly against him. 

“I was just terrified of being wrong and ruining our friendship.” Mark sniffled. 

Taeyong moved over to lay a hand on Mark’s back. “I know.” 

“Just… try to be supportive of them, okay? At least they’re happy. Plus, who knows, it may not even last as long as they’re saying it will.” 

Mark nodded before squeezing his eyes shut, and Taeyong took that as his cue to leave. He shut the lights off on his way out, sighing as he turned to look back, noting how small and frail Mark looked. 

___

“I’m sorry I freaked out on you for a minute, Hyuck,” Renjun’s muffled voice broke through where his face was smashed into Donghyuck’s shoulder. 

“I’m sorry for not giving you enough of my attention,” Donghyuck twirled his fingers in the hair at the base of Renjun’s neck, pressing small kisses to his forehead. 

After the anonymous door slam, they both collected themselves and just talked about their feelings rather than fighting, although Donghyuck couldn’t ignore the unsettling feeling in himself that something was wrong. It was a twisting feeling in the bottom of his stomach, his fingers shaking slightly as he played with Renjun’s hair, and it was evident in the way he seemed to keep spacing out no matter how hard he tried to pay attention.

“I’m just… trying to take care of Mark but not ignore you, and I haven’t been doing a good job lately.” As he spoke, Donghyuck’s eyes began watering at the thought of disappointing Renjun. “I promise I’ll work on balancing everything more, and I won’t prioritize him unless I absolutely have to.”

“Thank you, Hyuck, but I’m sorry for being whiny and a little dramatic, too. I need to work on being less insecure about this, but it’s hard considering how much you liked Mark before. But I’ll learn how to trust you more, so I won’t freak out again.” The older boy looked up at the younger and smiled slightly, and in return Donghyuck kissed him gently. 

It wasn’t their usual kiss, it was a first for both of them. Rather than being desperate and needy, it was gentle and slow, and Donghyuck could feel the love behind the kiss as his fingertips ghosted along Renjun’s jawline. 

Surprisingly, Renjun was the one to pull away first, and he shifted slightly so he could rest his face in the crook of Donghyuck’s neck. As Renjun closed his eyes, Donghyuck leaned his head and rested against the older’s hair, letting his eyes fall shut as he enjoyed Renjun’s presence. 

“Are we not going to talk about who slammed the door when we were arguing?”

“I just assumed it was one of the other Dreamies, but we’re home alone, aren’t we?” Renjun’s breath tickled Donghyuck’s neck as he spoke lightly. 

“Yeah, we are. I’ll ask one of the hyungs if they stopped by when I see them again.” 

__

About a week later, a few of the members were eating lunch together when it happened. 

Someone finally slipped up. 

They were having a normal conversation, and someone made a joke about how long Jaehyun and Taeyong tried to hide their relationship, when Yuta made a joke about Mark with Donghyuck.

Suddenly everyone at the table froze, afraid of what to say next, as they all glanced down at the end of the table where Mark was sitting, eyes as wide as the plates in front of him. 

Mark repeatedly told himself in that moment that he wouldn’t explode, he wouldn’t overreact, and most importantly, he wouldn’t cry. There were a few more moments of awkward silence before Yuta cleared his throat quietly. 

“I’m sorry, Mark, I’ll be more careful about what I say,” Yuta said, in the quietest voice Mark had ever heard from the usually outgoing one. “I just… didn’t think enough.” 

“No, it’s okay, I need to start desensitizing myself anyways. I’m never going to get anywhere if I can’t handle just hearing about it, so…” the younger trailed off, picking his fork up before he continued eating. 

The rest of the table was still in shock, but slowly accepted the event and continued eating, although quietly. Inside his head, Mark was on the verge of losing it. He knew he needed to be fine for the sake of everyone else at the table, but at the same time he just wanted to break down and cry. 

He chose the first option, opting to stay silent for the rest of the meal instead of letting them see how upset he was. 

The whole situation just flat out sucked. Mark was still maintaining his feelings for Donghyuck while also struggling with the fact that Donghyuck was falling in love with someone else, and it was his fault. If Mark has just sucked it up and taken a risk, they wouldn’t be in this situation, but the thought of Renjun liking Hyuck exactly the way Mark did kept crossing his mind. Had they both been wanting him from a distance, both leaving a huge gap between them and Donghyuck? Were they both hiding the same feelings? 

The answer was obvious, but Mark didn’t want to accept that Renjun felt the same way about Donghyuck that he did, because Mark didn’t like it. The way Mark felt about Donghyuck was special, his own secret feeling. He felt like he had finally found his other half when he was with Donghyuck, he felt complete. He felt like he was on top of the world when he mad Hyuck  
laugh, when he cheered him up after a frustrating day of practice. When Donghyuck would come to Mark at night for comfort when he couldn’t sleep, it made Mark elated to know he relaxed Donghyuck and made him feel safe. 

After lunch, Donghyuck was supposed to come home, and every part of Mark’s body was pounding with anxiety. He knew it wasn’t a big deal, but the thought of having to pretend like everything was normal was making his heart race with fear.

“Hey, hyungs!” 

Mark looked up as the door swung open, revealing a bright looking Donghyuck, carrying a container of cookies. 

“Jaemin made cookies, so he made me bring some  
to share. They’re chocolate chip,” Hyuck held the container up as he slipped his shoes off by the door. 

Everyone said their hellos as Donghyuck plopped down on the couch, right next to Mark, of course. Mark took a deep breath and told himself Donghyuck hadn’t actually done anything wrong, so he didn’t deserve for Mark to be in a sour mood towards him. 

“Mark, I bet you missed me so much while I was gone! You had the room all to yourself, it must’ve been so quiet and lonely,” Donghyuck laid his head on Mark’s shoulder, a sloppy smile taking over his face as he picked on the older. 

“Oh, the peace and quiet was so awful, I couldn’t stand it!” Mark dramatically played along, a smile finding its way to a place it hadn’t been in a long time as he messed up Donghyuck’s hair slightly. 

The younger smiled brightly, leaving his head on Mark’s shoulder as he turned his attention towards the TV. Mark shared a look with Taeyong, who raised his eyebrows in question, and Mark just sent a small smile back. 

It felt nice, Mark thought. It felt comfortable. This had been what they had always done, and he was glad they were settling back into their comfortable place together. 

The rest of the day went smoothly, and Mark had been in the best mood he’d been in since he witnessed Hyuck and Renjun arguing. Once it hit midnight, Mark decided he would go ahead and say goodnight, and to his surprise, Donghyuck agreed, yawning a goodnight to the rest of the members. 

They both got ready, their usual routine allowing Mark to be calmed in a way he hadn’t felt in a long time. 

They even did their usual weird late night talks, Donghyuck fueling the conversation as Mark listened to his ramblings, giving his thoughts when Donghyuck left a space for him to talk. 

“Hyunggggg,” Donghyuck whined, obviously attempting to push Mark’s buttons. “I can’t sleep.” 

Mark could hear the pout on Donghyuck face in his voice, a huge smile spreading over his face. 

“What do you want me to do about it?” Mark teased in response, and stifled a laugh when he heard Hyuck huff. 

“Are you really gonna make me say it?” 

Mark thought for a moment, then decided. “Say what?” 

Donghyuck let out a groan, and the bed shook as he climbed down. 

“You know what I mean, dumbass.” 

Mark giggled, scooting over to make room for Hyuck as he plopped down on the bed, immediately curling up into the older’s side and stealing the blankets. 

“You know, you do this so much, maybe you should just stop even bothering getting up in your bed,” Mark laughed, playing with Donghyuck’s hair and the younger’s head laid on his chest. 

“Actually, that’s not a bad idea.” 

Mark pretended to groan, but interrupted himself by laughing as Donghyuck poked him in the stomach. 

“You know you love me,” Donghyuck nuzzled into Mark a little more, just to mess with him. 

“Yeah, sure.” Mark laughed again. 

After that, they fell into a comfortable silence, Donghyuck’s breathing evening out as Mark softly played with his hair. 

The older let his arms wrap comfortably around Donghyuck, soon falling asleep along with the younger. 

That night, Mark slept the best he had slept in weeks.


End file.
